his 


...  is  an  authorized  facsimile  made  from  a  microfilm  copy 
of  the  original  book.  Further  unauthorized  copying  is  pro 
hibited. 

Books  on  Demand  is  a  publishing  service  of  UMI.  The 
program  offers  xerographic  reprints  of  more  than  136,000 
books  that  are  no  longer  in  print.  Some  titles  are  also 
available  on  microfilm. 

The  primary  focus  of  Books  on  Demand  is  academic  and 
professional  resource  materials  originally  published  by 
university  presses,  academic  societies,  and  trade  book 
publishers  worldwide. 

This  on-demand  reprint  was  reproduced  from  microfilm 
by  printing  each  page  on  a  continuous  roll  of  paper.  Since 
only  one  side  of  the  sheet  is  printed,  it  is  folded  to  give  the 
appearance  of  having  printing  on  both  sides.  It  does, 
however,  result  in  odd-numbered  pages  being  in  the  left- 
hand  position  rather  than  in  the  right-hand  position. 
Printed  text  and  line-drawing  illustrations  reproduce  well 
from  microfilm.  Half-tones  (photographs)  generally  do 
not  reproduce  well.  ^ 

UMI 

BOOKS  ON  DEMAND™ 

UMI 

A  Bell  &  Howell  Company 

300  North  Zeeb  Road  «  PO  Box  1346 

Ann  Arbor,  Michigan  48106-1346 

800-521-0600  *•  313-761-4700 

Printed  in  1996  by  xerographic  process  on  acid-free  paper 


WOMEN  or  THE  WAR; 


HEROISM  AND  SELF-SACRIFICE. 


liY 


FRANK     MOORE, 


AUTHOR     OF     "  T1IE     lltiU  KI.I.ION      UKC«>UI>,"      *'    HIAU.V     Or     TUB 
KfcVOLUTION,"    KTC.,   ETC. 


fcuil^    Steel    <£ngrnbing0. 


gartford, 
S.     S.     SCRANTON    &    CO. 

C.  TREAT,   CHICAGO,       If.   II.    BANCUOFT  As  CO..  SAV   KHANClaCO. 
NATIONAL  PUBLLSIIINQ  COMPANY,  CINCINNATI. 
1800. 


MAIN 


"  V  X        / 


-'i  S. 


.Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congrcta,  In  tlic  year  I8<VJ, 

liV     S.    8.    SOKANTOX    &.    CO., 

In   the  Clerk's  Office   of  the   District  Court   of  C'otmccticut- 


Electrotype*!  at  the  Do«u>n  SttrecXjrpe  FotLndry, 
No.  4  Sprinj 


INTRODUCTION. 


THE  histories  of  wars  are  records  of  the  achieve 
ments  of  men,  for  the  most  part :  the  chroniclers  have 
had  to  record  that  women,  by  their  intrigues  or  their 
fatal  gift  of  beauty,  have  been  the  cause  of  strifes  in 
numerable  ;  and  it  is  confessed  that  they  have  inspired 
heroism  and  knightly  deeds,  but  they  have  hud  small 
shore  in  the  actual  conflicts.  It  has  been  their  portion 
to  suffer  in  silence  at  home,  and  to  mourn  the  dead. 
For  them  it  has  been  to  hear  of  sufferings  which  they 
could  not  alleviate,  to  grieve  or  rejoice  over  results 
to  which  they  had  contributed  only  sympathy  and 
prayers. 

It  has  been  different  in  our  Conflict  for  the  Union, 
Other  wars  have  furnished  here  and  there  a  name, 
which  the  world  delights  to  repeat  in  terms  of  affection 
or  admiration,  of  some  woman  who  has  broken  through 
the  rigidity  of  custom,  and  been  conspicuous,  either 

(Hi) 


IV  INTRODUCTION. 

among  armed  men,  like  the  Maid  of  Saragossa,  or  in 
the  hospitals,  like  the  heroine  of  Scutari.  But  our 
war  has  furnished  hundreds  as  intrepid  as  the  one,  and 
as  phihuithropically  devoted  as  the  other.  Indeed,  we 
may  safely  say  that  there  is  scarcely  a  loyal  woman 
in  the  North  who  did  not  do  something  in  aid  of  the 

cause who   did   not   contribute,   of  time,  or   labor,   or 

money,  to  the  comJfbrt  of  our  soldiers  and  the  success 
of  our  arms.  No  town  was  too  remote  from  the  scene 
of  war  to  have  its  society  of  relief;  and  while  the 
women  sewed  and  knit,  and  made  delicacies  for  the 
sick,  and  gathered  stores,  little  girls,  scarce  old  enough 
to  know  what  the  charitable  labor  meant,  went  from 
house  to  house,  collecting  small  sums  of  money,  —  the 
fruitful  energy  of  all  keeping  the  storehouses  and 
treasury  of  the  Sanitary  Commission  full,  and  pouring 
a  steady  stream  of  beneficence  down  to  our  troops  in 
the  field. 

Everywhere  there  were  humble  and  unknown  labor 
ers.  But  there  were  others,  fine  and  adventurous 
spirits,  whom  the  glowing  fire  of  patriotism  urged  to 
more  noticeable  efforts.  These  are  they  who  followed 
their  husbands  and  brothers  to  the  field  of  battle  and 
to  rebel  prisons ;  who  went  down  into  the  very  edge 


INTRODUCTION.  V 

of  the  fight,  to  rescue  the  wounded,  and  cheer  and  com 
fort  the  dying  with  gentle  ministrations ;  who  labored 
in  field  and  city  hospitals,  and  on  the  dreadful  hospital- 
boats,  where  the  severely  wounded  were  received  • 
who  penetrated  the  lines  of  the  enemy  on  dangerous 
missions  ;  who  organized  great  charities,  and  pushed 
on  our  sanitary  enterprises  ;  who  were  angels  of  mercy 
in.  a  thousand  terrible  situations.  There  are  others 
who  have  illustrated,  by  their  courage  and  address  in 
times  of  danger,  by  their  patience  in  Buffering,  and 
by  adventures  romantic  and  daring,  some  of  the  best 
qualities  in  our  nature.  Like  the  soldiers  of  the 
armies,  they  were  from  every  rank  in  life,  and  they 
exhibited  a  like  persistence,  endurance,  and  faith- 
There  are  many  hundreds  of  women  whose  shining 
deeds  have  honored  their  country,  and,  wherever  they 
are  known,  the  nation  holds  them  in  equal  honor  with 
ite  brave  men. 

The  story  of  the  war  -will  never  be  fully  or  fairly 
written  if  the  achievements  of  women  in  it  are  untold. 
They  do  not  figure  in  the  official  reports ;  they  are 
not  gazetted  for  deeds  as  gallant  as  ever  were  done  j 
the  names  of  thousands  are  unknown  beyond  the 
neighborhood  where  they  live,  or  the  hospitals  where 


Vi  INTRODUCTION. 

they  loved  to  labor  ;  yet  there  is  no  feature  in  our 
war  more  creditable  to  us  as  a  nation,  none  from  its 
positive  newness  so  well  worthy  of  record. 

It  is  the  object  of  this  book  to  gather  and  present 
narratives  of  the  services  in  the  war  of  some  of  the 
women  who  shared  its  perils,  and  ought  to  inherit  its 
glories.  Their  experiences  are  varied,  and  include 
both  sufferings  and  adventures,  the  narration  of  which 
cannot  fail  to  warm  the  heart  and  excite  admiration 
wherever  they  are  read.  They  may  be  taken  as  rep 
resentatives  of  the  thousand  others  whose  good  deeds 
are  a  crown  to  the  national  glory. 


CONTENTS. 


MRS.    FANNY    RICKETTS. 

Tho  Sacrifices  of  American  Women.  —  Grace  Darling  and  Florence 
Nightingale. — Faithfulness  of  the  young  Wife  Gertrude.  —  Birth  and 
Parentage  of  Mrs.  Ricketts. —  Battle  of  Bull  It.  •  -. — Humors  of  the 
Death  of  her  lluoband.  — Viaita_the  Butllc-Acld. —  Experience  with  thu 
Rebel  General  Stuurt. — Refuses  to  aign  a  Parole.  —  Kemouatrunco 
of  Wigfull.  —  At  the  Headquarter*  of  General  Joseph  K.  Johnston. — 
Succeeds  in  finding  her  Husband  at  a  Hospital.  — Scenes  uiuuug  tho 
Dying  and  tho  Dead.  —  Her  Kindness  to  tho  Wounded. — The  Death 
of  FreBCott. —  Removal  to  Richmond.  —  Honorable  Conduct  of  Stone 
wall  Jueknon.  — Tho  Prisons  in  Richmond.  — Curiosity  of  the  People. 
—  Tho  Charity  of  a  Magdalen. — Arrival  of  tho  Union  Prisoners  from 
Ball's  Bluff. — Captain  Rickctta  selected  as  a  Hontngu.  —  Heroism  of 
Captain  Thomas  Cox. — Tho  Exchango  and  Rotur..  to  Wasliington. — 
Battles  of  Fredcrickbburg  and  Antic  tarn. — Her  Home  a  Hospital. — 
Experience  in  tho  Shcnandoah  Valley.  —  Sheridan's  Battle  at  Cedar 
Run.  —  At  Danville.  —  Peace  and  the  Return  Home.  .....  17— C5 

MRS.    MARY    A.    BRADY. 

Birth  and  Marriage. — Her  Motives  for  entering  upon  tho  Work. — 
The  Meeting  of  Ladies  at  her  Husband's  Office. — The  Satterleu 
Hospital  at  Philadelphia.  —  The  "James  River  Fever."  —  Moral  and 
Social  Restoratives. — Tho  Battles  of  the  Chickahominy. — How  tho 
"Wounded  were  cared  for. — The  Fair  Amanuensis. — Soldiers'  Own 
Stories. — Letter  of  Joseph  A.  Winters. — Tho  Thanksgiving  Din 
ner. —  Release  of  the  Boys  from  the  Guard-house. — Failure  of  tho 
Peninsular  Campaign. — Pope's  Retreat. — Tho  Hospitals  near  Alex 
andria. —  A  Snow  Storm  in  Camp.  —  Almost  in  tho  Rebel  Lines. — 
Chance  llorsville  and  its  Wounded.  —  Tho  Extemporized  Kitchen,  and 
what  was  done  in  it.  —  At  Gettysburg.  — The  Gratitude  of  the  Soldiers. 

—  The  Reason  of  the  Nr.tionul  Success. — Story  of  tho  Empty  Sleeve. 

—  Battle  of  Mine  Run.  — Tho  Hospital  at  Martin's  Ford.  —  Extraordi 
nary  Labors   in  the  Field.  —  •*  Completely   worn   out." — The  Fata    of 
Virginia  sealed.  —  Mrs.  Brady's  Death 36-53 

(vii) 


Till  CONTENTS. 


KADY     BROWNELL. 

Story  of  Captain  Molly.  —  Birth  of  Kady.  —  Recollections  of  her  Youth.  — 
Daughter  of  the  Regiment.  —  Skill  at  Target  Shooting.  —  Co  lor- bearer 
at  Bull  IJun. —  Incidents  of  tho  Panic  and  Retreat.  —  Her  Companion 
Killed.  —  Dangerous  Journey  in  an  Ambulance.  — Return  of  the  Regi- 

•  nient.  —  Burnuide'd  Expedition.  —  Heroic  Conduct  at  Newbern.  — Acts 
as  Nurse  for  the  Wounded.  — Sufferings  of  her  Husband.  — Unnatural 
Conduct  of  a  Rebel  Engineer. — Anecdote  of  two  Ncwbcrn  Ladies. — 
Spirited  Conversation  with  Colonel  Avery.  — Opinions  of  the  Flay.  — A 
Rebel  who  ••  allus  was  agin  the  war."  Tho  Return  Home. — The  Cap 
tured  Rifle. — licr  Honorable  Discharge 

MRS.    P.    B.    KURD. 

A  Story  of  Border  Suffering.  —  Massacre  at  Shctcck  Lake.  —  Fiendish 
Cruelty  of  the  Sioux  Indiana.  —  Death  of  Mr.  Hurd  and  Mr.  Voight.  — 
A  Journey  through  tho  Wilderness.  — Heroism  of  a  Mother.  — Battle 
at  Wood  Lake.  —  Escape  of  Little  Crow.  —  Execution  of  tho  Indiana.  C5-74 

MARGARET    E.    BRECKTNRLDGE. 

The  Siege  of  Vicksburg.  — Enters  upon  her  Work.  —  Her  Ancestry  and 
Family  History.  —  Contributes  to  the  "  Princeton  Standard."  — Appeals 
for  Aid,  and  encourages  tho  Soldiers  in  tho  Field. — Incidents  of 
General  Morgan's  Invasions  of  Kentucky. — JefTDavis's  Thanksgiving 
Day  at  Lexington,  Ky.  —  Kirby  Smith  in  the  Pulpit.  —  The  Hospitals 
at  Young's  Point.  —  Labors  there.  —  "Ain't  she  an  Angel?"  —  Her 
Transparent  Purity  and  Beauty  of  Character.  —  How  the  Soldiers 
loved  her.  — At  Work  in  the  Aid  Societies.  —  Incidents  of  the  Suffer 
ing  Soldiers. — The  Soldier's  Song.  —  How  much.  Salary  she  received. 
—  Knitting  for  the  Soldiers,  a.  Song-.  —  Increasing  Labors  and  Declin 
ing  Health.  —  Returns  to  Philadelphia.  —  At  the  Episcopal  Hospital.  — 
The  old  Negro  Woman.  —  Death  of  her  Brother-in-Law,  Colonel  Por 
ter.  —  Effect  upon  her  Health.  — Her  Last  Days  and  Death.  .  .  .  75-00 

MRS.    ELIDA    RUMSEY    FOWLE. 

The  Exchanged  Prisoners.  — Effect  of  Song  upon  them.  —  Tho  Rostrum 
of  Knnp»«tcks. — Tho  Erection  of  the  Soldiers'  Free  Library.  —  The 
Dying  Soldier  Boy.  —  "  Nearer  Home."  —  Incident  of  the  Patent  Office 
Hospital.  —  "The  Rebel  Flags."  —  Sheridan  gives  "the  Rebs  Hail 
Columbia."  —  Hospital  Labors  after  the  Second  Battle  of  Bull  Run.  — 
Experience  in  the  Amputating  Room.  —  '*  Determined  to  accomplish 
Something."  —  The  "Unknown"  Martyr.  —  A  Hero  of  Chancellors- 
ville.  —  Chaplain  Quint.  —  Retirement  of  Home .  01-108 


CONTENTS. 


BRIDGET    DIVERS. 

44  Irish  Biddy n  join*  tho  Michigan  Cavalry.  —  Her  Knowledge  of  tho 
Men.  —  How  aho  cared  for  them.  —  Acts  as  Chaplain.  —  Her  "Work  in 
tho  Hospitals. —  Tho  Christian  and  Sanitary  Commissions.  — Under 
Fire.  —  Escapes  Capture  at  Cedar  Creek.  —  Her  Generosity  to  tho 
"Wounded  and  Sick.  —  Personal  Appearance  and  Character.  .  .  10O-11U 

MRS.    ISABELLA    FOGG. 

Inauguration  of  Hostilities. — Her  Schoolhoy  Son  enlists.  —  Discovers 
her  «*  Duty."  —  Labors  at  Annapolis.  —  Tho  Fight  at  Williamaburg-  — 
On  the  Hospital  Boats.  —  Fair  Oaks.  —  At  tho  Front,  f—  "Just  where 
she  wanted  to  go."  —  Mr.  Knupp,  of  the  Sanitary  Commission.  —  At 
Savage  Station.  —  Tho  Perils  of  Chickohominy  Swamp.  —  Gbines's 
Mill.  —  Retreat  of  McClellan. — Tho  March  to  James  Itiver.  —  Inci 
dent*. —  Returns  to  Portland.  —  At  "Work  again  ut  Antictam. — Gen 
eral  Hooker.  — Barnside's  Attempt  at  Fredcrickaburg. —  Journal  of  her 
Experiences.  —  Storm  of  Shot  and  Shell  at  Chancelloravillu.  —  II-  roic 
Answer  of  a  Woundod  Boy. — Tho  *«  Rest"  on  the  Ruppahannock. — 
44  Independence  Day  at  Gettysburg."  —  Ke!lcy*s  Ford  and  Mine  Run.  — 
Hospital  Lalx*rs. —  Liberality  of  the  Maine  Legislature. — Grant  "de 
termined  to  fight  it  out  on  that  line."  —  Tho  awful  Price  of  a  Nation's 
Existence.  —  The  Army  at  Front  Royal.  —  Buttle  at  Cedar  Run  ;  her 
Son  wounded.  —  Tho  Christian  Commission. —  At  Louisville. — In 
jured  on  a  Hospital  Boat. —  Close  of  tho  War.  ...*..  113-128 

WHAT    WE    DID    AT    GETTYSBURG. 

Journal  of  tho  Labors  of  two  Lndics  after  tho  Battle.  —  Sanitary  Com 
mission  Lodge.  —  Distributing  Supplies.  —  Tho  Journey  to  Gettys 
burg. —  Kilpntrick's  Fight.  — The  Dead  Rebel.  —  "  No  one  to  help."  — 
Clearing  of  tho  Hospitals.  — Tho  Kxtemporo  Ambulances.  — Songs  of 
the  Negroes.  —  Arrival  of  a  Delegation. — Feed  Rebels  as  well  as 
Unionist*.  —  Tamarinds  and  Water.  —  Tho  Gettysburg  Women.  —  Ex 
tortion.  —  A  Man  who  never  saw  a  Rebel.  — Tho  Stupid  Dutchman.  — 
A  Bruvo  Woman.  —  44  Tell  her  I  lovo  her."  —  The  Dying  Rebel 
Lieutenant.  —  Ilovr  Black  People  pray.  —  Blessings  for  Abraham  Lin 
coln. —  Distribution  of  gay -colored  Handkerchiefs.  —  A  Craxy  Man 
in  the  Hospital.  — Tho  Wisconsin  Mother.  —  Patriotism  of  the  Boys.  — 
"  Red,  White,  and  Bluo." 1L'7-147 

MRS.    MARY    \V.    LEE. 

The  Union  Refreshment  Room  at  Philadelphia.  —  Labors  on  the  Spal- 
dinjjr.  — The  Crutch  Brigade.  —  Scenes  in  tho  Peninsula  Campaign.  — 
How  ahe  subdued  a  Selfish  Sutler.  — Death  of  Adams,  of  tho  Nine- 


X  CONTENTS. 

tccnth  Massachusetts. —  Dumplings  for  the  Soldiers. —  Anecdote  of 
General  Scdgwick.  —  Mrs.  General  Barlow  on  the  Field.  —  Willie 
Morrow,  the.  Pennsylvania  Sharpshooter.  —  Hospital  at  Smoketown. — 
A  Mother's  Love.  —  Henry  Cole.  —  L>r.  Vandcrkeift.  —  A  Case  of  «•  Pud 
ding  and  Milk."  —  Explosion  at  Harper's  Ferry.  —  Testimonials.  — 
labors  at  Falmouth.  —  The  Old  Stove.  —  Storaiing  of  Maryc'ti  Heights. 

—  The    "Towel    Flag."  —  Care    of    the    Wounded.  —  Incidents    of   the 
Lacey    House. — The    Portrait.  —  At    Gettysbi.i  <j. —  Aaron    Willa,    tho 
Color   Corporal.  —  The    Second    [Division    Hospital. — The  Love  of  tho 
"  Boys."  —  The  Dattles  of  the  Wilderness.  — An  Extemporized  Kitchen. 

—  Cooking  for  the  Army.  —  At  the  White  House.  —  Miss  Cornelia  I  Tan- 
cock.  —  Rows  of  Silent  Sufferers.  —  At  City  Point.  — Death   of  Major 
Smith.  —  Devotion  of  Colonel   Crosby.  —  "  My  Country    has    hud    my 
Arm,  she   is  welcome   to   my  Life."  —  Letter  of  Mrs.  Bush.  —  "  Unseal 
ing  the  Fountains."  — Capture  of  Lee's  Army.  — The  «*  Chorus  of  Vic 
tory." —  A   Visit  from  President  Lincoln. — Mrs.  Leo   returns    to   her 
home 148-1GO 

MISS    MAJOR    PAULINE    CUSHMAN". 

Ancestry  and  Birth.  — Becomes  an  Actress.  — Her  Toast  to  the  Southern 
Confederacy.  —  Enters  the  Service  of  tho  North  aa  a  Spy.  —  Adven 
tures  in  Tennessee.  —  Her  good  Fortune  leaves  her.  —  Captured  by  Mor 
gan's  Men.  —  Forrest's  Friendship.  —  How  she  talked  to  a  Rebel  Gen 
eral.  —  Woman's  Wit.  —  A  Visit  to  General  Bragg.  —  Morgan's  Adieu. 

—  Colloquy   with    Bragg.  —  Sentenced    to    be    hanged. — The   Ruse. — 
Arrival  of  Kosccrnns'  Advance.  — Is  liberated  by  General  Garficld.    170-175 

AIRS,  jomsr  HARRIS. 

Clxarity  of  Philadelphia. —  Dr.  Boardman's  Church.  —  Relief  for  the 
SoUlicrs. — Mrs.  Joel  Jones. —  Mrs.  Stephen  Colwcll.  —  Ladies'  Aid 
Society.  —  Work  at  tho  Front.  —  The  Potomac  Hospitals.  —  The  Sad 
Stories  of  War.  —  How  she  improved  the  Taste  of  the  Tea.  —  Scenes 
in  Ihe  I lygeia  Hospital. — The  Carolina  Boy. —  Consolations  for  tho 
.Dying- —  Tho  Young  Alabnmian. — The  Chesapeake  Hospital.  —  But 
tle  -of  Fair  Oaks.  —  On  Board  tho  Vandcrbilt.  — Fearful  Surgical  Op 
erations.  —  "This  is  War."  —  Fight  at  Dudley's  Farm. — Tho  Heroic 
Maine  Captain:  "Now  go  on,  my  Braves!"  —  Opinion  of  '•  somo 
Army  Chaplains." — Labors  at  Harrison's  Landing. — Distribution  of 
Supplies  to  Soldiers.  —  Scenes  at  Antiotara.  —  Sufferings  of  Meagher's 
Brigade. — Tho  Dying  Hero.  —  "There  is  Rest  for  tho  Weary."  — 
Song  a  Comforter.  —  "I  love  my  Country  better  than  my  Life."  — 
Thoughts  of  the  Soldiers. — Filial  Devotion. — Sights  on  the  Battle 
field. —  Mrs.  Harris'  Letters.  —  Their  Effect  at  tho  North.  —  The  "Val 
ley  Torgc  M  of  the  War.  —  General  Hooker  takes  Command.  —  Labors 
at  the  TLAcey  House.  —  A  Sabbath  in  War.  —  •'  Bully  Soup.'*  —  Opera- 


CONTENTS.  XI 

tiona  after  tho  Battle  of  Chancclloravillc.  —  Misa  Dix.  —  Gettysburg.  — 
At  Warrcnton. —  Commences  her  Work  in  the  Western  Aruiy.  —  The 
Conflict  at  CHiattanooga. — Tho  Poor  Whites.  —  A  Dark  Picture. — 
Heroism  of  Uio  Wounded.  —  Sights  in  Nashville. — Tho  Rcftigce  Wo 
men. —  Andcrsonville  and  Salisbury. — Conclusion 170-212 

MARY    E.    SHELTON. 
Is  appointed  Secretary  to  Mrs.  Wittenmeyer.  —  Her  Work  at  St.  Louis. 

—  Stories  of  Helena.  —  Labors  of  Love.  —  Condition  of  tho  Sick   Sol 
diers.  —  Songs  of  ihe  Soldiers.  —  '*  Juat  like  my  own  Mother." —  Lib 
erty  Hix.  —  Mrs.  Wittenmeyer's  Lal-ors.  —  Dr.   Powell.  —  Journey  to 
tho    Big   Black.  —  Hospital    Sketches. —  "Little    Willie."  — Amusing 
Letters.  —  Sham    Marriages.  —  Tho    Swamp   Fever.  —  How   a  Wicked 
Rebel  was   frightened.  — Heroism  of  a  German  Wife.  —  A  Sad  Death. 

—  A  Suicide. —  "  Mother  1    Mother!    Mother!"  —  Hattio  and  Charlie. 

—  A  Good  Woman.  —  An  Affecting  Incident.  —  Love  for  tho  Dear  Old 
Flag.  —  Mrs.  E.  P.  Smith.  —  Tho  «'  Ancient  Mariner."  —  «'  Grapes  and 
Cologne  caved  me."  —  How  Roses  were  Secured  for  die  Hospitals.      213-237 

CARRIE    SHEADS. 

The  Oak  Ridge  Seminary.  —  Gettysburg.  —  Hand-to-hand  Fighting.  — 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Whcelock.  —  Heroism  of  M  iss  S  heads.  —  "  South 
ern  Grit." —  Devotion  to  the  Wounded.  —  A  Patriotic  Family.  —  Con 
clusion 238-244 

MRS.    STEPHEN    BARKER. 

Work  that  she  did.  —  Tho  Fourteenth  Massachusetts.  —  What  is  to  bo 
expected  in  a  Hospital.  —  Fort  Albany.  —  Sermons  of  Henry  Ward 
Bccehcr.  —  "  Hospital  Visitors."  —  Gratitude  of  tho  Soldiers.  —  Sys 
tematic  Visits.  —  Wounded  Germans.  —  Tho  Letter  Express.  —  New 
York  Woman's  Central  Relief  Association.  —  Miss  Louisa  Lee  Schuy- 
ler.  —  After  tho  War 245-253 

MRS.    BELLE    REYNOLDS. 

The  Young  Wife.  —  Experience  iu  Camp.  —  Marching  Orders.  —  Cam 
paigning  in  Southern  Missouri.  — After  tho  Battle  of  Belmont.  - — Nat 
ural  Scenery.  —  Corinth  and  Memphis.  —  General  Grant.  — Tho  Firafc 
Day  at  PitHburg  Landing.  —  A  Desperate  Cose.  —  "Tho  Rebels  are 
coming."  —  Tho  Bravo  Sergeant.  —  A  Sccno  of  Terror.  —  A  Woman 
on  the  Battle-field.  —  '«  Mustered  out."  —  An  Uncivil  Surgeon.  —  Dr. 
Wanincr.  —  Is  commissioned  a  Major  by  Governor  Yates.  —  Death 
of  Captain  Swain.  —  General  Grant  and  bis  Cigar.  —  Out  in  a  Storm.  — 
At  Alillikcn'a  Bend.  — Running  tha  Blockade  at  Vicksburg.  — The  Sur 
render. —  "Truco  Tree."  —  At  Home.  254-277 


XH  CONTENTS. 

MRS.    CHARLOTTE    E.    McKAY. 

Life  at  Frederick  City.  — iSuttlo  at  Winchester.  — Duties  in  the  Hospital. 

—  Death  of  tho  German   Boy.  —  A    Visit   from   Stonewall  Jackson. — 
Defeat  of  Banks.  —  Rebel  Occupation  of  Frederick.  —  "  Maryland,  My 
Maryland."  —  Tho  Foraging  Party.  —  Polite  Rebels.  —  '*  Bound  to  get 
to  Philadelphia."  —  Antictam.  —  At  Falmouth.  —  Mrs.  General  Birney. 

—  Scenes  at  Chancellorsville.  —  Labors  at  Gettysburg.  —  The  Fight  at 
Mine    Run.  —  Spottsylvania    and   tho  Wilderness.  —  Scenes    and    Inci 
dents.  —  An  Heroic  Mother.  —  Story  of  "  Jim."  —  Scenes  at  Hatcher's 
Run. — Unprincipled  Men.  —  Gifts  from  tho  Soldiers.  —  Recompense. 

—  The  Soldier's  Grave.  —  On  a  Stretcher.  — Lifu   in  the  Tented  Field. 

—  The  Recruit's  First  and  Last  March li7d-30G 

THE    BLOODY    FLAG    OF    FORT    PILLOW. 

Massacre  of  Union  Troops  by  Forrest.  —  Death  of  Major  Booth.  —  ••  No 
Quarter."  —  Brutality  of  tho  Rebels.  —  Scene  at  Fort  Pickering.  — 
Speech  of  Mrs.  Booth.  —  "Never  surrender  the  Flag  to  Traitors."  3u7-318 

MRS.    MARY    MORRIS    IITJSBAOTX 

The  Descendants  of  tho  Heroes  of  177G.  —  Robert  Morris.  —  Lives  of 
Self-sacrifice.  —  The  Hospital  at  West  Philadelphia.  —  Harrison's  Land 
ing. —  The  Fights  atChontilly  and  South  Mountain.  —  Testimony  of  Ji 
Massachusetts  Man.  —  An  Affecting  Incident.  —  The  Dying  Boy.  —  Let 
ters  from  the  Soldiers.  —  Kind  Words.  —  The  Reprieve,  and  how  blic  oh- 
tained  it. — "Valley  Forgo"  of  the  Rebellion.  —  Moral  Cheer.  —  Incom 
petence  in  tho  Army.  —  How  to  amuse  the  Sick  and  Wounded.  —  Tho 
Groves  of  Potomac  Creek.  —  In  Pursuit  of  Lcc. —  Comforts  for  '•  her 
Boys."  —  Her  Legal  Knowledge.  —  Intercedes  for  the  Condemned. — 
Interview  with  Abraham  Lincoln.  —  The  Guard-house.  —  Meade's  Cam 
paign. —  Ladies'  Aid  Society. — A  Hurricane  in  Camp.  —  The  Case  of 
'*  G.  B."  —  Food  for  the  Patients.  — Grant  begins  in  Virginia.  —  Death 
of  Sedgwick  and  Wadsworth.  —  Work  at  City  Point.  —  Pleasant  Fea 
tures  of  Hospital  Life. — Capture  of  Lee. — Scenes  in  Richmond. — 
Entry  of  Loyal  Troops.  —  "  There's  Mother  Husband  I  "  —  An  Ovation 
from  the  Conquerors.  —  Work  at  Bailey's  Cross  Roads. — Trophies 
and  Mementoes.  —  Satisfaction  in  being  permitted  to  do  Good.  — 
Home 313-33* 

MRS.    E.    E.    GEORGE. 

Activity  of  Indiana  in  tho  War. —  Sanitary  and  Christian  Commissions. 
— -Nurses  from  the  Military  Agency.  —  Mr.  Hannaman.  —  First  As 
sault  on  VicJcsburg.  —  Devotion  of  Mrs.  George.  — In  tho  Midst  of  the 
Guerrillas. — Journey  from  Nashville  to  Pulaski.  — Accompanies  Sbcr^- 


CONTENTS.  Xlll 

man  in  his  Great  &:-.rch.  -  -liarrow  Escape  at  Joiicsboro'.  —  Siege  of 
Nashville. —  At  Wilmington. — Tho  Prisoners  from  Salisbury.  —  Too 
much  Work.  —  I-ost  Sickness  and  Death 333-34O 

ANNA    MARIA    ROSS. 

The  Cooper  Shop  Saloon  at  Philadelphia.  —  Its  Object*.  —  A  Welcome 
for  every  Soldier.  —  Tho  Hospital.  —  Pleading  the  Soldier's  Cause.  — 
Tho  Fair. — Establishment  of  tlio  "  Soldiers'  Home."  ....  341-346 

MRS.    A.    II.    IIOGE. 

Women  of  tlio  War.  —  Spirit  of  William  Pcnn.  —  Her  Sons  enter  the 
Service.  —  M ra.  Livcrnvore.  —  Commencement  of  Sanitary  Labor.  — 
Chicago  Fuir.  —  Travels  and  Lectures.  —  Address  at  Brooklyn.  —  Hos 
pital  at  Mound  City.  —  •*  Turned  lor  tho  FirstTimo  in  Fivo  Weeks."  — 
**  They  had  to  toko  the  Fort."  —  The  Suffering  French  Boy.  —  The  Lu&t 
of  Seven  Sons.  —  An  Agonized  Mother.  —  Willing  to  die.  —  The  Only 
Child.  —  Tho  Teachings  of  Youth.  —  William  had  gono  Home.  —  At 
Young's  Point.  — Onions  and  Lemons.  —  Home-made  Gingerbread. — 
"  A  Cup  of  Tea  like  Mother's."  —  All  for  the  Old  Flag.  —  The  Story 
of  John  and  Mary. —  Mother  Biekcrdyke.  —  ««  Bully  Milk  Toast."  — 
A  "Constant  Woman."  —  Bright  and  Huppy  Boys.  —  A  Bruvo  Wis 
consin  Boy. —  Vickshurg  stormed.  —  A  Visit  to  tho  Rifle-pits. — Tho 
Religion  of  the  Camp.  —  «•  We  can  .fight  another  Year."— Duguer- 
rotypcs.  —  Soldiers'  Reverence  for  Women.  —  The  War-stained  Flag.  — 
"Rally  round  the  Flag.  Boys!"  —  Tho  Soldier's  Death.  .  .  .  347-372 

MISS    EMILY    W.   DANA. 

The  Naval  Academy  at  Annapolis.  —  Last  Year  of  tho  War.  — The  Cruel 
ties  of  the  Confederates.  —  Salisbury  and  Belle  Isle.  —  Dr.  Vandcrkieft, 

—  Miss   Tyler. — The    ««  Main    Stay"    of    tho    Hospital.  —  Songs    and 
Stories.  —  "Tho   Beautiful  Boy." — Starved  to   Death.  —  The  Classic 
Hero.  —  Martin   Armstrong.  —  Tl  e    Love    of    Jonathan.  —  Adams  the 
Nurac.  —  A  Rich  Experience 373-331 

MRS.    S.    BURGER    STEARNS. 

The  Working  of  tho  Commissions.  —  The  Mission  of  Woman  in  War.  — 
Lectures  in  Michigan.  —  Visits  to  tho  Hospitals.  —  Address  at  Wash 
ington.  —  Schuyler  Colfax.  —  Proper  Sphere  of  Woman.  .  .  .  382-38O 

MRS.    HARRIET    W.    F.    IIAWLEY. 

Her  Husband  enters  tho  Service.  —  Indomitable  Perseverance.  —  Visits 
Beaufort.  —  Becomes  a  Hospital  Visitor.  —  At  Fernandina  and  St.  Au 
gustine.  —  After  the  Battle  at  Oluatce.  —  In  Charge  of  Armory  Square 
Hospital  at  Washington.  —  Incidents  of  tho  Virginia  Campaign  of  18U4. 

—  At  Wilmington,  N.  C.  —  New  Horrors  of  War.  —  The  Andersonville 
Prisoners. — The  "  Jail  Fever." — Exertions  to  relievo  tho  Suffering. 


3C1V  CONTENTS. 

—  "  Starving  to    Death." —  Ilovr    tlic    Chaplain*   worked.  —  Death    of 
Chaplain  Eaton  and  Miss  Kiinball. — Terrible   Sufferings  in  tho  Hospi 
tal. —  Capture  of  Richmond.  —  Affecting   Scenes.  —  Visits  the  "lute" 
Confederate  Capital.  — The  Buttle  Ground  of  Five  Fork*.  .      .      .      337-390 

MISS    MARIA    M.    C.    HALL. 

Secession.  —  Partisanship  in  the  National  Capital.  —  Birth  of  Miss    Hall. 

—  Nohlu    Aspirations.  —  Requisites    for    a    Nurse.  —  Miss    Dix.  —  Self- 
sacrifice   of  Mrs.  Fales. — The    Indiana   Hospital. — At  Work.  —  Hos 
pital   Transport    "Daniel  Webster." — Antietam    Creek.  —  At  McClel- 
lun's  Headquarters.  —  First  Experience  in  tho  Hospital  at  Antietam. — 
Th«    Suffering   Confederate. — Work   at   Smokctown. —  Gettysburg. — 
A    "Separate   Command."  —  Miss    Helen    M.    Noye.  —  .Mrs.    Tyler. — 
Anderaonville  and  its  Horrors. — Brave  Men 31)7—108 

MRS.  GOVERNOR  HARVEY. 

Death  of  her    Husband.  —  Pittsburg   Landing.  —  Story  of  hor  Army  Life. 

—  Extraordinary  Labors. — The  "  Orphans  of  tho  War."     .      .      .      4O9-414 

MISS    AMY    M.    BRADLEY. 

Early  Army  Experience. — Colonel  O.  O.  Howard.  —  An  Incident  of 
War.  —  After  Bull  Hun. — The  First  Patients. — General  Slocum. — 
Takes  Charge  of  the  Sick  of  a  Brigade. — Old  Aunt  Hugar.  —  Powell 
House  Hospital.  —  Tho  Death  of  Nichols. — Letters  for  the  Soldiers. 

—  How    young    Davis    was    relieved. — "  Doses     of    Stick-to-liim."  — 
TVarrcnton   Junction.  —  At    Yorktown. —  Made    Lady   Superintendent 
of  the  Ocean  Queen.  —  Companions  in  Good  Work.  —  Misses  Woolsey, 
Gilson,   and   Gardner.  —  After  tho   Battle   of  Fair  Oaks. — Anna  Eth- 
cridge.  —  Arrival  of  the  Wounded.  —  Conquering  a  Rebel.  —  Incident* 
of   the    Flouting    Hospitals.  —  A    Painless    Amputation.  —  Efficacy    of 
Milk    Punch    "Snifters."  —  Tho    Soldiers'    Home. — J.   B.    Abbott. — 
**  Camp  Misery."  —  At  Camp  Distribution. — How  she  aided  the  Sol 
diers  at  Washington.  —  Death  of  Greenwood.  —  Summary  of  Lulmrs  in 
Camp.  —  The  Soldier's  Journal.  —  Augur  General  Hospital.  — Plan  of 
Work. — Testimony  of  the  Officers  and  Soldiers 415—152 

MISS    REBECCA    R.    USHER. 

The  Hospital  at  Chester,  Pa.  —  Mrs.  Tyler.  —  Co-laborers  in  tho  Hospi 
tals. —  A  Full-blooded  Southerner.  —  Flogging  Negroes. — A  Touch 
ing  Reunion. — At  Petersburg. — A  Stockade  described.  —  Fruit  and 
Vegetables  in  tho  Army.  —  Bridget  the  Heroine.  —  Incident*  of  the 
Hospitals.  —  "Too  happy  to  bleep." 453— 4G4 

MOTHER    BYCKERDYKE. 

Labors  in  tho  Field  and  in  the  Hospital. — Work  at  Donolson. —  Gov 
ernor  Harvey's  Eulogium.  —  Arrests  Surgeons  for  using  Sanitary  Sup- 


CONTENTS.  XV 

plies. — Grant  fight*  on  her  Lino. — The  ««  Tin  Cup  Brigade."  —  Sho 
Ranks  her  General.  —  At  Mission  Ridgo  and  Lookout  Mountain.  — 
Goes  with  Sherman  in  hid  Grcut  Campaign.  —  Her  Labors  on  the 
March.  —  Mrs.  Porter's  Description  of  her  Work. — *'  She's  a  Power 
of  Good."  — Gratitude  of  the  Soldiers.  —  «'  Broiling  Mutton  without  a 
Gridiron."  —  Conclusion -4G5— 471 

• 

MRS.    ANN    IIITZ. 

Incentives  to  Deeds  of  Charity. — Germans  in  tlio  Army. — The  Littlo 
Drummer  Boy. — German  Aid  Society.  —  Incident  of  Armory  Squaro 
Hospital.  —  Praying  with  the  Wounded.  —  A  Tribute  to  tho  Young  Men 
of  the  Army 472—477 

"AUNT    LIZZIE"    AND    "MOTHER." 

Lizzie  Aikcn  ami  Mrs.  Sturgis.  — The  Testimony  of  Charley  Kendall.  — 
Woman's  Love  in  the  Hospital. — "Angels  of  Mercy."  —  Sketch  of 
Aunt  Lizzie,  by  a  Soldier. — "Home,  bwvet  Home,"  and  "  Wo  aro 
coming,  Father  Abraham." —  Mrs.  Brake  ami  Jenny  Mathcson. — Tho 
»  Noble  Maggies." 47&-4S4 

MISS    MARY    E.    DUPEE. 

Work  at  Annapolis.  —  Rebel  Malignity.  —  "Sunbeams."  —  A  Hello  I»lo 
Prisoner's  Story.  —  Incidents.  —  The  Maine  Agency.  —  Cure  of  tho 
Soldiers.  —  A  Satisfactory  Experience 485— 4OO 

MRS.    ELIZABETH    MENDENHALL. 

The  Women  of  Cincinnati  and  their  Work.  —  Celebration  of  tho  Holi 
days. —  Great  Western  Sanitary  Fair.  —  Death  of  William  Starr. — 
*<  Ready  to  go." — Miss  Elizabeth  Morris  and  Mrs.  Thomas.  —  Labors 
of  Mrs.  Colonel  Wright  and  others 4O1-497 

LOYAL,    SOUTHERN    WOMEN. 

The  Heroine  of  Cumberland.  —  How  eleven  Confederates -were  capturcd- 

—  TCohle    Act    of    two    Tennessee    Women.  —  Heroism    of    the    Miflsea 
Taylor.  —  Bravery  of  Miss   Schwartz.  —  Miss    Oldom's   Adventure.  — 
Spirited    Conduct    of    Mrs.   Phelps.  —  Death    of   General    Lyon.  —  An 
Instuiicu    of  Self-sacrifice. —  A    Loyal     Richmond    Girl. — Tho    Good 
Woman  at  Rome.  —  Mrs.  Hetty  M.  McKwen 408-512 

ANNA    ETHERIDGE. 

Enlists  for  the  War.  — Battle  of  Blackburn's  Ford.  —  Amid  tho  Shot  and 
Shell.  —  Receives  the  "Kearney  Cross." — Bringing  in  the  WountleiL 

—  A  Narrow  Escape.  —  Soldiers*  Affection  for  her.  —  At  Work   on   tho 
Hospital   Bouts.  —  Testimony  of  Mrs.    Husband  and  Miss   Bradley. — 

••  The  Heroine  of  the  War."  .  613-518 


XVI  CONTENTS. 

MISS    A.    SHELTON. 

The  Nurses  at  Chattanooga.  —  Scenery  of  the  Camp.  —  Mias  Hagnn  and 
others.  —  Delirious  Patients.  —  Fights  at  Dulton  and  Tunnel  Hill.  — 
Special  Diet  Kitchens  ................  C  10-522 

MISS    GEORGIANA    WILLETS. 

Grant's  Method  of  Warfare.  —  Scenes  at  Frodericksburg.  —  Lack  of 
Hospital  Appliances.  —  Dr.  Dalton.  —  Extempore  Bedding.  —  IJricks 
for  Pillows.  —  Change  of  Base.  —  Removal  of  the  Sick.  —  March  of 
tho  Wounded  Brigade.  —  Scenes  at  Port  Royal.  —  Miss  Hancock.  — 
Noble  Work  of  Mrs.  Spencer.  —  Labors  at  the  White  House.  —  Mrs. 
Price.  —  «•  Thirty-eLx  Hours  of  Torturo."  —  Close  of  Uiu  War.  . 

WOMEN    AS    SOLDIERS. 

•«  Emily,"  the  Unknown.  —  Story  of  Ellen  Goodridgc.  —  ••  Irish  Biddy.** 
—  Rescues  the  Dead  Body  of  her  Captain.  —  Heroism  at  Fair  Oaks.  — 
Effect  of  her  Appearance  on  the  Battle-field.  ....... 


NELLY    M.    CHASE. 

Story  of  the  One-armed  Soldier.  —  Battle  of  Fredcrickshurg.  —  "  He'd 
not  dying,  Doctor."  —  A  Life  saved.  —  How  the  Wounded  were  Fed. 
—  Tiie  "  Uoumlhead  Regiment."  ...........  53G-51O 

WOMAN'S    SACRIFICES. 

Mrs.  Ellct.  —  Story  of  the  Pcnnsylvanian.  —  A  Mother's  Sacrifice.  — 
"That  feels  like  Mother's  hand."  —  The  Women  of  tho  Prairies. 


MISS    JANE    BOSWELL    MOORE. 

Patriotism  of  the  Private  Soldier.  —  Reminiscences.  -  Leonard  Wiggun. 
—  Incidents  of  Hospital  Life.  —  Haskett  tho  Ohioan.  —  Story  of  Ser 
geant  Colby.  —  A  Noblu  Mother  ............  534-57X) 

SANITARY   LABORERS. 

What  they  have  Accomplished.  —  Women's  Central  Relief  Association.  — 
The  Commissions.  —  Sanitary  Fairs.  —  Soldiers'  Aid  Societies.  —  Pcnn 
Relief  Association.  —  New  England  Women's  Auxiliary  Association.  — 
Soldiers'  Homed  and  Rests.  —  Conclusion  ..... 


WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 


MRS.   FANNY  RICKETTS. 

NO  page  in  tho  history  of  tho  bloody  war  which  has 
just  now  co mo  to  an  cud  is  so  brilliant  as  that  illumi 
nated  by  a  record  of  the  noblo  sacrifices  and  exploits  of 
heroic  women. 

Tho  historian  of  other  wars  can  point  to  affecting  though 
isolated  eases  of  courage  and  devotion,  but  no  annals  are  so 
rich  as  ours  in  those  deliberate  acts  of  unquestioning  self- 
sacrifice,  which  at  once  onnoblo  our  estimate  of  human 
nature,  and  increase  tho  homage  we  pay  to  tho  virtues  of 
woman. 

American  mothers,  with  more  than  Spartan  patriotism, 
sent  forth  their  sons  to  fall  by  rebel  bullets,  or  to  languish 
in  rebel  prisons.  Many  loyal  women  along  tho  vexed 
border,  and  within  tho  lines  of  the  enemy,  exhibited  a 
more  than  human  courage  for  tho  Union  and  its  glorious 
banner,  in  tho  face  of  persecution  and  danger.  In  tho  hos 
pital,  and  amid  the  stormy  scenes  of  war,  they  displayed  a 

2  (17) 


18  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

heroism  as  brilliant  as  that  of  Graco  Darling,  surpassed 
tho  charity  of  Florence  Nightingale,  and  repeated  tho 
humility  and  gentle  sacrifices  recorded  of  Mary  in  tho 
sacred  Scriptures. 

Every  one,  thoughtful  and  true,  must  aduiiro  and  appre 
ciate  tho  memorable  conduct  of  tho  young  wife  Gertrude,  of 
mediaeval  times,  who  knelt  at  tho  foot  of  tho  wheel  upon 
-which  her  unfortunate  husband  hung  in.  excruciating  tor 
ture,  praying  for  tho  wretched  sufteror,  whispering  words 
of  consolation,  and  sustaining  him  with,  exhortations  to 
look  at  tho  joys  beyond.  "  lie  had  ceased  to  try  to  send 
her  away,"  says  tho  historian,  "  and  still  sho  watched  when 
morning  came  again,  and  noon  passed  over  her,  and  it  was 
verging  to  evening  when  for  tho  last  time  he  moved  his 
head,  and  sho  raised  herself  so  as  to  bo  closo  to  him. 
"With  a  smile,  ho  murmured,  *  Gert>~udet  tJtis  is  faithfulness 
till  deatJtS  and  died." 

Mrs.  He::nans,  in  her  exquisite  way,  has  given  utterance 
to  this  elevated  sentiment  of  self-sacrifico  in  tho  beautiful 
lines,  — 

"  I  have  been  with  thec  in  thine  hoar 

Of  glory  n.nd  of  bliss  ; 
Doubt  not  its  memory's  living  power 

To  strengthen  me  through  tliis. 
And  then,  mine  honored  love  and  true, 

Bear  on,  bear  nobly  on; 
"We  have  the  blessed  heaven  in  view, 
Whose  rest  shall  soon  be  -won." 

Similar  in  intensity  and  fortitude  was  tho  spirit  manifested 
by  tho  lady  whose  name  heads  this  chapter.  More  than  onco 
was  her  husband  mangled  under  tho  irou  wheel  of  battle. 


MRS.     FANNY    RIOK£TT8.  19 

Onco  ho  was  reported  dead,  and  bis  dying  words  and  his 
sword  were  brought  to  tho  agonized  wife.  But  she  over 
came  all  obstacles,  penetrated  the  hostile  lines,  reached  tho 
side  of  his  bloody  stretcher,  went  into  captivity  with  him, 
and  made  his  spared  life  and  recovered  health  tho  monu 
ment  of  her  unwavering  and  heroic  devotion. 

The  father  of  Mrs.  Ricketts,  Mr.  J.  Sharpe  Lawrence, 
was  an  Englishman  of  wealth,  possessing  largo  estates  in 
tho  Island  of  Jamaica,  whero  ho  met  Miss  Ricketts,  tho 
youngest  daughter  of  Captain  Ricketts,  of  tho  British 
army,  and  Sarah  Livingston,  whobo  American  connections 
have  been  celebrated  in  our  history  from  colonial  times. 

The  father  and  mother  of  Mrs.  Ricketts  were  married  at 
Elizabeth,  New  Jersey,  whero,  after  somo  years  of  migra 
tory  life  between.  England  ami  tho  AVest  Indies,  they 
decided  to  remain,  and  whero  thoir  third  daughter,  Fanny 
Lawrence,  was  born. 

Her  education  was  principally  conducted  by  that  best 
of  all  teachers,  her  mother,  who  brought  to  tho  delightful 
and  sacred  task  not  merely  tho  lovo  of  a  mother,  but  a 
mind  of  uncommon  clearness,  which  had  been  admirably 
trained  and  stored  by  life-long  habits  of  close  observation 
and  Aviso  reading. 

In  January,  1856,  Miss  Lawrence  was  married  to  a  did- 
tant  relative  on  her  mother's  side,  James  B.  Ricketts,  then 
a  captain  in  the  First  artillery  U.  S.  A.,  and  immediately 
went  with  him  to  tho  distant  south-western  frontier  of  the 
republic,  on  tho  Rio  Grande,  where  his  company  was 
stationed. 

Hero   sho    remained  with  him  for  more   t-h*1"  threo  years, 


20  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

till  that  grand  mustering  of  all  tho  powers  of  the  republic 
to  the  long-contested  battle-grounds  along  tho  Potomac. 
Their  life  on  tho  Mexican  frontier  was  full  of  interest, 
novelty,  and  adventure.  Tho  First  artillery  was  often 
engaged  in  repulsing  the  irregular  and  roving  bands  of 
Cortinos,  who  rode  over  tho  narrow  boundary  river  in 
frequent  raids  and  stealing  expeditions  into  Texas.  When 
in  camp,  Airs.  Rickctts  greatly  endeared  herself  to  tho  men 
in  her  husband's  company  by  constant  acts  of  kindness  to 
tho  sick,  and  by  showing  a  cheerful  and  lively  disposition 
amid  all  the  hardships  and  annoyances  of  garrison  life  at 
such  a  distance  from,  homo,  and  from  tho  comforts  and 
refinements  of  our  American  civilization. 

Sho  was  a  spirit  of  mercy  as  well  as  good  cheer  ;  and 
many  a  poor  fellow  knew  that,  if  ho  could  but  get  he:.*  car, 
his  peuanco  in  the  guard-house  for  some  violation  of  tho 
regulations  would  bo  far  less  severe  on  account  of  her 
gentle  and  womanly  pica. 

IL.  tho  spring  of  18G1  tho  first  artillery  wns  ordered  to 
Fott.ress  Monroe,  and  her  husband,  together  with  tho  gal 
lant  and  accomplished  Greblo,  who  fell  a  few  weeks  nftor 
at  ^Bethel,  carried  on  an  artillery  school  of  practice,  whero 
tho  future  heroes  of  the  Chickahominy,  and  Fredericks- 
burg,  and  Chaiicellorsville,  and  Gett3rsburg  were  taught  to 
handle,  with  fatal  skill,  the  engines  of  warlike  art.  A  few 
weeks  beforo  tho  first  advance  under  McDowell,  Captain 
Ricketts  was  ordered  to  Alexandria,  to  command  a  battery 
of  light  artillery.  Mrs.  Ricketts  was  constantly  with  him, 
both  here  and  while  on  the  Peninsula.  The  bravo  boys 
were  so  accustomed  to  her  presence  at  headquarters,  and 


MRS.    FANNY    RICKETTS.  21 

had  so  many  cheerful  and  grateful  reminiscences  of  her 
graceful  charities  away  on  the  distant  Rio  Grande,  that  aho 
remained  with  them  until  the  eve  of  the  grand  advance  in 
tho  middle  of  July,  18G1,  when  she  was,  for  the  first  time, 
separated  from  her  husband  by  military  rules  ;  and  while 
ho  and  the  company  moved  on  to  Controviile,  and  thcnco 
to  "  battle's  magnificently  stern  array  "  on  tho  plains  of  Ma- 
uassas,  she  returned,  crushed  with  a  nameless  foreboding,  to 
her  temporary  homo  in  Washington,  to  do  all  that  woman 
can  when  she  sends  her  chosen  one,  and  her  other  self,  into 
tho  untold  and  innumerable  dangers  of  war.  She  could 
only  do  what  thousands  of  others  did  —  watch,  and  hope, 
and  pray,  listening  with  heavy  hearts  to  tho  far-off  roar, 
and  grasping  with  wild  avidity  at  every  fragment  of  news 
from  tho  hotly-contested  field. 

On  tho  evening  of  tho  21st,  rumors,  and  then  messengers 
camo  hurrying  to  her  room,  confirming  tho  very  worst  fears 
of  an  agonized  wife.  Persons  hitherto  unknown  to  her 
called  to  give  her  tho  most  harrowing  details  of  tho  wounds 
her  husband  had  suffered  ;  and  then  his  death  was  announced. 
All  these  accounts  she  persistently  refused  to  credit,  cling 
ing  to  tho  mighty  hope  that  nothing  but  absolute  conviction 
can  quench  in  tho  loving  heart.  At  last  what  seemed  to 
bo  fatal  evidence  was  adduced.  Lieutenant  K.  D.  leaker, 
then  aid-de-camp  to  General  Franklin,  brought  her  tho 
captain's  sword,  and  repeated  in  her  ears  his  dying  words* — 
"  Give  this  to  my  wife  ;  tell  her  I  havo  dono  my  dut3*  to 
my  country,  and  my  last  words  are  of  her  and  our  child." 

This  was  soon  afterwards  confirmed  by  the  tearful  sy m- 
pathy  of  Captain  Ricketta'  junior  lieutenant,  tho  gallant 


22  WOMEN    OP    TTTE     WAtt. 

Ivirby,  who  recited  tho  story  of  his  long  but  fruitless  search, 
for  the  captain's  body.  At  this  the  agonized  wife  was 
plunged  into  an  abyss  of  lespair,  and  of  painful  clinging  to 
hope  against  hope,  almost  as  heavy  as  desperation  ;  and 
this  dreadful  state  lusted  through  two  nights,  when  tho 
lingering  flame  of  hope  was  roused  into  a  mighty  and  con 
trolling  motive,  by  a  telegram  from  General  \Vadsworth, 
stating  that  an  oflicer,  who  met  his  flag  of  truce,  informed 
him  that  Captain  Rickctts  was  alive,  but  dangerously 
wounded  and  a  prisoner. 

Without  a  moment's  hesitation,  she  determined,  at  all 
hazards  arid  despito  all  obstacles,  to  reach  his  side.  Re 
pairing  at  once  to  Captain,  (now  General)  IScckwith,  of  tho 
subsistence  department,  ho  procured  for  her  a  light  car 
riage,  drawn  by  two  horses,  and  a  driver,  whoso  southern 
sympathies  were  such  as  to  make  him  moro  than  willing  to 
pass  within  tho  rebel  Hues.  General  Scott  gave  her  a  pass 
valid  to  tho  extent  of  tho  Union  lines,  and  thus  equipped, 
and  wholly  unattended,  sho  started  on  the  search  for  her 
wounded  and  perhaps  dying  husband.  Sho  drove  on, 
without  material  delay,  till  halted  by  tho  rebel  pickets  ;  and 
she  was  obliged  to  remain  lingering  in  an  agony  of  sus 
pense  and  doubt,  till  a  note,  written  by  her  to  tho  cavalry 
leader,  Stuart,  whom  she  had  known  in  sunnier  days  011  tho 
Rio  Grande,  had  been  carried  to  him,  and  was  returned 
•with  tho  permission  indorsed  to  advance  within  tho  south 
ern  lines  as  far  as  Fairfax. 

Hero,  on  learning  tho  nature  of  her  errand,  ho  demanded 
her  signature  to  a  written  parole  of  honor  that  sho  would 
not  act  the  part  of  a  spy.  Notwithstanding  her  extreme 


MUS.     FANNY    RICKETTS.  23 

anxiety  to  avoid  detention,  she  indignantly  tore  the  paper 
in  pieces  before  his  eyes,  replying,  "I  am  no  spy,  but  the 
-wife  of  a  wounded  officer,  and  will  go  aa  your  prisoner, 
but  never  sign  a  parole." 

Ex-Senator  Wigfall,  of  Texas,  hero  remonstrated,  and 
some  discussion  followed,  when  Stuart  rudely  told  her  to 
drive  on  at  once.  But  she  knew  too  well  the  difficulties 
into  which  she  would  bo  plunged  if  she  drove  on  as  ordered 
on  a  road  crowded  with  rebel  soldiers,  or  through  a  coun 
try  swarming  with  exultant  and  straggling  cavalry. 

She  knew  tiio  usage  to  which,  by  the    rules  of  honorable 
warfare,  sho   was   entitled,   and   insisted  on    being  supplied 
with   a    pass   and   a   guide   to    the    headquarters    of  General 
Joseph  E.  Johnston.     This  request  was  at  length  unwillingly 
acceded    to,    and   sho  was  soon   face  to   face  with   the    rebel 
hero   of  Dull   Run,  who,  without    much    hesitation,    allowed 
her  to  drive  to  a  houso  situated  011  a  part  of  the  field  still 
crimsoned  with  the   streams   of  battle,  where   her  husband 
had  been  carried.      What   fearful  and  ghastly  scenery  now 
surrounded  this  young  and  delicately-reared  woman  !      The 
first   vision    of    that   terrible    picture    was    stamped    on    her 
brain,  to   bo    effaced    only    by  death.      Corpses,  swollen  by 
incipient   decomposition,  stripped  of  every  shred   of  cloth 
ing,  wcro   sweltering  all  around,  under  tho   hunt  of  a  July 
sun.       In   tho    court-yard    of    tho    houso    where    sho    was    in 
formed  that  her  husband  could  bo  found,  lay  rows  of  tho 
wounded  and  tho  dead.      On  tho  door-step,  as  sho  entered,  lay 
an  arm,  all  mangled  and  bloody,  which  a  surgeon  had  just 
amputated  and  tossed  down  thoro    as  carelessly  as  though 
it  had  been  a  chicken's   leg  ;    while    under  tho  window  she 


24  '  WOMEN    OF    THE    AVAR. 

glanced  at  a  fearful  pile  of  human  limbs,  the  accumulation 
of  two  days'  ainputatiou.  Tho  hall  was  narrow  and  nearly 
obstructed  by  a  largo  mahogany  diiiiug-tablo,  oil  which  was 
lashed  a  wretched  victim,  who  was  writhing  in  almost  mor 
tal  agony  under  the  knife  and  saw  of  the  operator.  Blood 
was  over  the  floor  and  011  the  walls,  and  had  spirted 
from  severed  arteries,  so  that  the  very  ceiling  was  spotted 
with  scarlet. 

Passing  on  up  stairs,  she  found  six  wounded  men  in  a 
small  chamber,  five  ranged  along  tho  wall  on  the  floor,  and 
one,  more  pallid  than  tho  rest,  very  still,  on  a  bloody 
stretcher.  This  was  her  husband  ! 

Ajt  first  ho  was  unconscious,  but  at  length  feebly  mur 
mured  in  her  ear,  "  I  knew  you  ^vould  come." 

A.  Union  surgeon  who  was  in  attendance,  and  whoso 
unremitting  and  skilful  care  saved  tho  limb  and  tho  life 
of  Captain  Ricketts,  Dr.  Lewis,  of  Michigan,  urged  upon 
her  tho  importance  of  self-control,  and  tho  removal  from  tho 
enfeebled  sufferer  of  everything  calculated  to  cxcito  or 
alarm  ;  and  from  that  moment  on,  through  all  tho  anxieties 
and  sufferings  that  followed,  she  armed  herself  in  a  forti 
tude  that  seemed  almost  stoical  and  unnatural. 

Though  her  husband's  life  was  hanging  as  by  a  thready 
so  that  a  littlo  neglect  might  bo  fatal  to  him,  her  woman's 
heart  could  not  resist  tho  appeals  that  all  night  long  came 
up  from  tho  different  rooms  of  that  house  of  suffering  and 
of  horror  for  water.  She  rose  from  tho  floor  beside  her 
husband,  and  taking  a  part  of  the  small  supply  that  a  sur 
geon  had  brought  for  his  hot  and  swollen  leg,  from  a  spring 
)mlf  a  mile  distant,  she  groped  her  way  among  tho  groaning 


&1BS.     FANNY    RIOKETTfl.  25 

and  prostrate  forms,  moistening  their  parched  lips.  Onco 
she  was  startled  by  the  fearful  announcement,  made  in  a 
clear  voice,  that  rose  above  the  groaning-,  "lie  is  gone, 
our  bravo  corporal  !  The  Lord  gave  and  the  Lord  hath 
taken  away."  This  called  her  attention  to  the  speaker, 
whom  she  learned  to  bo  Prescott,  of  the  Fourteenth  Brook 
lyn  regiment.  He,  too,  poor  fellow,  was  c<  taken  away," 
but  not  without  passing  through  a  furnace  of  suffering  so 
terrible  that  ho  had  occasion  to  cuvy  the  earlier  aiid  less 
painful  death  of  the  bravo  corporal.  His  leg  was  hope 
lessly  shattered,  and  was  amputated  above  the  knee  threo 
times  within  a  week  ;  and  then  ho  was  transported  to  Rich 
mond  in  a  box-car,  where  the  stump  was  so  bruised  that 
the  artery  was  opened,  and  ho  bled  to  death  at  last. 

For  two  weeks  Airs.  Rickctts  remained  with  her  husband 
in  the  house  whcro  she  found  him.  Tho  means  furnished 
for  rendering  the  sufferers  comfortable  were  of  the  lowest 
possible  order,  and  that,  too,  in  a  country  abounding  in  the- 
luxuries  of  old  civilization,  and  within  a  few  hours'  ride  of 
the  national  capital.  No  food  was  furnished  but  raw 
bacon  and  hard-tack,  with  some  coffee  and  sugar,  captured 
at  Ccntrevillo  ;  no  cooks,  or  facilities  for  cooking,  the  sur- 
gcous,  after  their  long  toils  with  the  wounded  during  the 
day,  being  obliged  to  bring  water  a  half  mile,  and  prepare 
the  food  as  best  they  could. 

Tho  effluvium  from  the  battle-field  was  such  that  the 
rebel  camps  were  removed.  Finally,  the  odor  became  so 
intolerable  that  the  guards  left.  Then  appeared  that  loath 
some  curse  and  epidemic  of  army  hospitals,  gangrene,  and 
it  was  determined  to  break  up  the  field  hospitals,  and 


26  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAH. 

remove  all  tho  wounded  prisoners  to  Richmond ;  and  an 
order  to  that  effect  was  issued  on  tho  3d  of  August. 

Captain  Ricketfcs*  wounds  were  moro  dangerous,  and  his 
situation  more*  critical,  in  the  early  part  of  August,  when 
he  was  removed  to  Richmond,  than  at  any  time  since  tho 
battle.  He  had  been  hit  in  three  places  ;  hut  the  wound 
which  gave  him  tho  greatest  pain,  and  which  for  weeks 
rendered  his  recovery  doubtful,  was  from  a  ball  that  had 
entered  his  left  leg,  near  tho  knee  joint,  shattering  tho 
bone,  and  followed  by  such  pain  and  swelling,  that  mor 
tification  was  constantly  feared. 

So  grout  was  tho  danger  from  this  latter  source,  that 
twico  Airs.  Ricketts  had  expostulated,  with  all  the  earnest 
ness  of  woman,  with  tho  surgeons,  who  insisted  that  ampu 
tation  was  absolutely  necessary.  But  considering  the  heat 
of  tho  season,  tho  discomforts  and  privations  under  which 
ho  was  suffering,  and  tho  amount  of  corruption  and  tho 
gangrene  Avhich  abounded  among  all  tho  wounded,  she  was 
satisfied  that  his  chances  of  recovery  would  not  bo  improved 
by  the  dreaded  operation. 

In  the  removal  to  Richmond  Mrs.  Ricketts  was  able  to 
secure  for  him  a  hospital  car,  instead  of  the  rude  box  cars, 
which  gave  fatal  jolts  to  manjr  a  poor  fellow  who  might 
otherwise  have  recovered. 

In  praiseworthy  contrast  to  the  rudeness  and  indifference 
generally  manifested  by  tho  rebel  officers,  and  the  insults 
of  rebel  women  heaped  upon  them  at  the  different  stations, 
the  conduct  of  Wade  Hampton,  and  of  Stonewall  Jackson, 
and  of  Major  "Webb,  of  North  Carolina,  was  considerate  and 
generous.  Colonel  Hampton  brought  ale  and  refreshments 


MRS.     FANNY    RICKETTS.  27 

to  the  wounded  officer  and  his  heroic  wife ;  and  months 
after,  Mrs.  Ricketts  was  able  to  repay  tho  civilitica  of  Major 
"VVohb,  by  procuring  his  pardon  and  release  from  Johnaoii'a 
Island,  where  ho  was  confined  as  a  prisoner. 

Notwithstanding  tho  sea  of  horrors  into  which  this  de 
voted  pair  had  been  plunged  by  tho  results  of  tho  battle, 
and  tho  ghastly  surroundings  of  tho  battle-field,  whcro 
they  had  remained  for  two  weeks,  they  found  their  situation 
worse,  if  possible,  in  Richmond. 

Tho  wounded,  prisoners  were  taken  to  tho  city  poor- 
house.  Crowded  into  those  dreary  and  cheerless  rooms, 
between  bare  brick  Avails  and  tho  roof  uiiceilod,  these  suf 
ferers  lay  on  tho  dirty  floors,  and  pined,  and  languished, 
and  felt  hopo  and  life  die  out  in  their  breasts,  when  com 
fortable  surroundings  might  have  saved  most  of  thorn.- 

Tho  faro  was  coarao  and  impalatablo  to  tho  last  degree, 
even  to  persons  in  health,  and  utterly  revolting  to  tho 
patients,  whoso  systems  were  reduced  by  loss  of  blood  and 
by  tho  nervous  prostration  of  unceasing  pain.  Captain 
Ricketts  grew  worse,  and  tho  gloomiest  forebodings  pressed 
like  lead  upon  tho  bravo  heart  of  tho  heroic  wife.  Again 
the  surgeons  consulted  over  his  dreadfully  swollen  leg,  and 
prescribed  amputation;  and  again  it  was  spared  to  tho 
entreaties  of  his  wife,  who  was  certain  that  his  now  greatly 
enfeebled  constitution  would  not  survive  tho  shock.  Much 
of  tho  time  he  lay  unconscious,  and  for  weeks  his  life 
depended  entirely  on  the  untiring  patience  and  skill  with 
which  his  wife  soothed  down  tho  rudeness  of  his  prison- 
house,  cheering  him  and  other  prisoners  who  were  so 
fortunate  as  to  bo  in  tho  room  with  him,  and  alleviating 
tho  slow  misery  that  was  settling  like  a  pall  upon  them. 


t8  1     WOMEX    OF    T1IE    WAK. 

Yet  none  of  the  prisoners,  at  least  in  the  daytime,  had 
the  luxury  of  being  private  in  their  sorrow.  At  all  hours 
crowds  of  curious  and  listless  gazers  worn  permitted  to 
come  and  feast  upon  this  spectacle  of  suftering,  as  though 
these  wounded  officers  and  tho  solitary  woman  that  was 
sharing  their  prison  lifo  were  savages  caught  in  the  act  of 
cannibalism  in  tho  Feejeo  Islands. 

Tho  daily  papers  of  tho  city  were  constantly  pandering 
to  this  savago  taste,  by  suggesting  greater  cruelty  and 
"worse  hardships  as  tho  proper  desert  of  men  who  had 
**  polluted  tho  sacred  soil  of  Virginia  by  tho  foot  of  tho 
invader." 

To  tho  credit,  however,  of  some  whoso  public  acts  wero 
thoroughly  disunion,  it  must  bo  admitted  that  in  private 
they  discharged  some  of  tho  duties  of  humanity  towards 
these  wounded  prisoners.  Tho  wife  of  Adjutant-General 
Cooper  and  the  sister  of  James  M.  Mason,  both  repeatedly 
sent  Mrs.  Kickctts  and  her  husband  baskets  of  delicate  and 
palatable  food  ;  and  both  these  ladies,  in  defiance  of  tho 
bitter  and  vulgar  prejudice  which  was  nourished  by  tho 
daily  press,  paid  them  visits  of  respect,  and  manifested  a 
womanly  kindness  and  regard. 

There  was  also,  in  tho  lower  walks  of  life,  a  touching 
instance  of  womanly  sympathy  which  deserves  respectful 
mention,  even  as  tho  charity  of  Mary  Magdalene  has  been 
forever  rescued  from  oblivion  by  tho  pen  of  the  sacred 
historian. 

There  was  a  woman  who  had  formerly  lived  in  New 
York,  and  at  that  time  was  living  with  a  well-known  gam 
bler  in  Richmond,  who  daily  and  regularly  ministered  to 


UBS.     FANNY    RICKETTS.  29 

those  unfortunate  prisoners,  until  at  length  her  kindness 
came  to  the  ears  of  the  officials,  who  forbade  her  sending 
them  any  more  food.  But,  with  the  wit  and  perseverance 
of  a  woman,  sho  at  length  obtained  such  a  moditication  of 
the  order  as  would  allow  her  once  a  week  to  send  a  basket 
to  Mrs.  Ricketts.  This  basket,  which  came  each  Sabbath 
morning,  was  packed  with  tho  most  substantial  viands,  and 
gave  Mrs.  Ricketts  the  pleasure  of  providing  her  husband, 
who  had  now  commenced  slowly  to  recover,  with  food  that 
he  could  relish,  and,  with  tho  rest,  broke,  at  least  for  one 
day,  tho  dreary  and  tasteless  monotony  of  prison  fare. 

But  tho  abyss  of  wretchedness  was  not  sounded  yet. 
Nearly  three  months  of  imprisonment  had  elapsed  while 
these  suffering  patriots  were  languishing,  yet  hoping  that 
the  great  republic,  in  whoso  invincible  might  and  perpetual 
integrity  they  never  lost  confidence,  would  turn  upon  her 
enemies,  and  burst  their  prison  doors  with  a  grand  and 
decisive  victory.  But,  in  the  last  days  of  October,  they 
heard  the  tramp  of  the  prisoners  taken  at  Bail's  Bluff  pass 
ing  through  tho  streets  of  Richmond,  and  tho  jeers  and 
taunts  of  tho  rebel  mob  that  followed  at  their  heels. 

There  now  came  an  order  breaking  up  tho  littlo  group 
of  fellow-sufferers,  -whoso  sorrows  had  united  them  in  a 
deep,  though  sombre  friendship.  Colonel  Willcox,  who 
was  now  nearly  well  of  a  terrible  wound  in  tho  arm,  was 
sent  to  Charleston,  and  tho  other  convalescents  wore  to  bo 
confined  in  Libby  Prison.  Soon  after  this  removal  to  that, 
abode  of  nameless  horror,  that  has  since  become  famous  in 
its  infamy,  Mrs.  Ricketts  was  reclining  at  night  upon  the 
narrow  cot  beside  her  husband's  stretcher,  when  sho  heard 


30  WOMEN    OF    TJIK    AVAR. 

the  voice  of  a  messenger  beside  her,  who  stood  there  in.  tho 
darkness,  and  coolly  announced  that  Captain  Ricketts  had 
been  selected  as  one  of  tho  thirteen  officers  of  highest  rank 
in  possession  of  tho  Confederate  government,  as  hostages 
for  the  thirteen  privateersmeii  held  in  Now  York.  Ho  was 
to  go  to  tho  condemned  cell,  and  bo  liable  at  any  moment  to 
execution,  whenever  tho  rebel  government  might  learn  of 
the  execution  of  their  imprisoned  sailors.  Conceive  tho 
mental  suffering  of  that  devoted  wife  during  tho  long  hours 
of  that  dreadful  night ! 

After  four  months  of  untold  suffering,  and  having  much 
of  the  time  huug  insensible  on  tho  verge  of  life,  ho  was 
now  beginning  to  gain  strength,  and  with  fair  treatment 
might  live  and  bo  strong  again.  J3ut  on  tho  morrow  ho 
was  to  be  carried  away  from  her,  nnd  beyond  all  her  minis 
trations  or  visits,  and  locked  in  tho  felon's  cell  —  a  dungeon 
reserved  for  prisoners  convicted  of  infamous  crimes,  and 
liable  any  day  to  bo  dragged  out  to  a  cruel  death. 

But  Mrs.  Rickctts  was  not  a  woman  to  yield  to  a  disaster 
so  appalling  without  using  every  possible  means  to  avert 
tho  blow.  In  Airs.  Cooper  sho  thought  sho  had  a  friend 
whose  husband  had  influence  at  rebel  headquarters,  and  as 
soon  as  daylight  enabled  her  to  traqe  the  lines,  sho  com 
posed  a  letter,  such  as  only  such  a  wife  could  write  in  such 
a  crisis.  Mrs.  Cooper  was  moved,  and  the  rebel  secretary, 
who  on  tho  llth  of  November  lri<l  issued  tho  fearful  order 
that  included  Captain  Ricketts,  on  tho  12th  instructed 
General  Winder  that  "  all  the  wounded  officers  had  been 
exempted  as  hostages."  The  motive  which  Mrs.  Cooper 
brought  to  bear  upon  his  mind  was  not  any  suggestion  of 


MBS.    FANNY    RIOKETT8.  31 

Immunity,  but  the  four  that  such  cruelty  to  wounded  officers 
might  damage  tho  fair  name  of  tho  Confederacy  iu  tho  oycs 
of  tho  people  of  Europe. 

"When  the  name  of  Captaiu  Hicketts  was  first  read,  there 
occurred  one  of  those  instances  of  prompt  and  manly  self- 
sacrifice,  that  elevate  our  estimate  of  human  nature,  and 
deserves  record  and  perpetual  remembrance.  Captain 
Thomas  Cox,  of  tho  first  Kentucky  volunteers,  exclaimed 
at  once,  "  What*  that  wounded  man,  attended  by  such  a 
devoted  wi/e?  Let  me  yo  in  hits' place  I" 

Tho  constant  draught  upon  tho  vital  powers  made  by  such 
along  series  of  watchiiigs,  sufferings,  and  by  anxiety  BO  acute 
and  agonizing,  at  length  began  to  appear  in  tho  shattered 
health  of  Mrs.  Rickctts  ;  and  permission  wu<*  asked,  and, 
uiV.cr  long  delay,  granted,  for  her  to  drive  out  daily,  and 
for  a  little  while  to  breathe  air  purer  than  that  of  Libby 
Prison. 

But  before  this  little  boon  could  bo  of  any  practical 
advantage,  tho  exchanged  officer  arrived  in  Richmond,  and 
the  pallid  but  now  convalescent  invalid  dragged  his  still 
painful  limb  across  tho  threshold  of  Libby  Prison,  and  with 
his  heroic  wife  took  tho  first  traiu  for  Fairfax.  It  was 
now  tho  last  week  of  December,  18G1.  Some  months 
elapsed  before  Mra.  Ricketts  recovered  her  health  ;  but 
Captain  Ricketts  recovered  very  rapidly,  and  had  tho  satis 
faction  of  knowing  that  government  recognized  hia  services 
and  his  sufferings  ;  for  in  tho  spring  of  1862  ho  received  tho 
commission  of  a  brigadier-general,  and  was  assigned  to 
duty  in  McDowell's  corps,  at  Fredericksburg.  Mrs. 
Jiicketts  remained  with  him  for  some  months  that  followed, 


32  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAU. 

until,  in  the  fall  of  1862,  when  campaigning  against  Jackson 
in  the  Valley,  General  Ricketta  commanded  the  second 
division  first  army  corps,  and  the  corps  being  constantly 
on  the  march  or  in  battle,  she  was  obliged  to  retire  for  a 
few  weeks  to  her  homo  in  Washington. 

But  Antiotam  gave  him  back  to  her  society  again,  as  Dull 
Hun  had  the  year  before,  though  not  under  circumstances 
quite  so  painful.  Ho  was  wounded  in  the  same  log  as  in 
the  former  battle,  by  his  horse  being  shot  and  rolling  upon 
him.  The  injury  thus  occasioned  confined  him  during  the 
fall  of  1862,  and  in  the  winter  of  1862— '63  ho  was  on  duty 
at  \Vashington,  as  president  of  the  military  commission. 

TVhen  the  battle  at  Ghaiicellorsvillo  was  fought,  in  May, 
1863,  Lieutenant  Kirby,  who  had  been  11  brother  officer 
with  General  Rickctts  -when  both  wore  in  the  First  artillery, 
was  brought  to  Washington  in  a  very  feeble  state,  having 
suffered  the  amputation  of  a  limb.  The  poor  fellow  was 
carried  to  the  general's  house  in  "Washington,  where  Mrs. 
Ricketts  took  care  of  him  with  that  patient  kindness  which 
is  so  unspeakably  grateful  to  a  sufferer.  But  caro  and  skill 
could  not  save  him.  Ho  did  not  live  to  read  his  commis 
sion  as  brigadier.  Other  officers  and  sufferers  of  every 
grade  now  claimed  her  attention,  for  Gettysburg  soon 
followed  ;  and  during  all  that  summer  and  fall  she  continued 
her  labors  among  those  who  seemed  most  to  require  her 
attentions,  her  husband  having  recovered  his  health  and 
returned  to  participate  in  all  the  battles  in  which  his  corps 
was  engaged. 

In  the  summer  of  1864,  when  Grant  advanced  on  Rich 
mond,  General  Ricketts  distinguished  himself  greatly  in 


MRS.     FANNV    RICKETT3.  33 

the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor,  and  received  the  public  thanks 
of  General  Meade  ;  and,  a  few  weeks  after,  his  division 
fought  the  battle  of  Monocacy,  the  effect  of  which  was  to 
delay  the  last  rebel  invasion,  and  give  the  Union  troops 
time  to  concentrate  for  the  final  repulse  of  Ewcll  from 
Maryland. 

Soon  after,  in  September,  1864,  the  Sixth  corps  went  up 
the  Sheuaiidoah  Valley  with  Sheridan,  and  in  October  the 
battle  of  Cedar  Run  was  fought ;  and  there  General  Ricketts 
received  his  third  serious  wound,  which  came  nearer  being 
fatal  than  any  former  injury.  A  ball  pierced  his  right 
breast,  and  the  report  came  to  Washington  that  his  wound 
was  mortal.  His  wife's  fidelity,  and  the  story  of  her  suffer 
ings  at  Richmond,  had  become  known  to  government,  and  she 
obtained  not  only  a  pass,  but  a  mounted  escort,  who  went 
with  her  up  the  valley,  to  protect  her  from  tho  attacks  of 
Mosby's  guerrillas,  who  were  swarming  everywhere  in  the 
rear  of  the  battle-field.  She  found  General  Ricketts  far 
more  comfortably  situated  than  on  that  memorable  occasion 
three  years  before.  The  ball  had  been  extracted  ;  but  tho 
nature  and  situation  of  tho  wound  rendered  his  recovery 
a  long  time  doubtful,  and  for  four  anxious  and  weary 
months  she  was  hanging  over  his  couch,  and  doing  every 
thing  that  love  and  skill  could  suggest  to  save  a  life  that 
had  now  become  doubly  precious  to  her  for  tho  sufferings 
and  the  anxieties  which  had  been  devolved  upon  both  by 
stern  demands  of  tho  country.  At  length,  as  spring  opened 
in  1865,  and  when  Sherman  had  wheeled,  in  the  magnificent 
curve  of  his  grand  march,  from  Atlanta  to  Savannah,  and 
northward  to  the  rear  of  the  long-beleaguered  city,  the 
3 


84  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAK. 

generals  knew  the  gigantic  gnme  was  nearly  ended,  and 
General  Ricketts  was  among  those  who,  having  suffered  so 
long  and  so  much,  desired  to  "be  in  at  the  death."  Tho 
•wish  was  not  denied  him.  In  April  ho  was  with  his  old 
corps,  and  chased  the  routed  and  crumbling  rebel  column 
to  Danville,  whcro  the  effect  of  cold  and  exposure  made 
both  his  wounds  very  painful,  and  ho  was  obliged  to  quit 
the  field.  Again,  and  now  for  the  last  time,  the  devoted 
-wife  hurries  along  the  familiar  roads,  and  presses  forward 
to  where  the  suffering  hero  needs  her  cheerful  preaeu.ee  and 
her  skilful  care. 

The  war  ia  now  over.  Tho  groat  events  of  April  crowd 
in  quick  succession  —  the  capture  of  Richmond,  the  sur 
render  of  Leo,  and  the  murder  of  Lincoln  ;  but  General 
Ricketts  and  his  wife  still  linger  in  camp,  for  his  wounds 
are  still  painful.  But  at  length  the  Sixth  corps,  that  had 
marched,  and  suffered,  and  fought  so  many  hard  battles  on 
the  soil  of  Virginia,  moves  off  northward,  crosses  tho 
Potomac ;  aad  then,  but  not  till  then,  the  duties  of  tho 
heroic  general  and  his  no  less  heroic  wife  are  ended. 

With  tho  first  boom  of  tho  deadly  thunder  at  Manassas, 
she  had  been  called  away  from  her  life  of  joyous  ease  and 
peaceful  love,  and  so  long  as  the  noise  of  that  long  war 
lasted,  she  had  known  no  rest  nor  intermission  in  her  labors 
of  womanly  care  and  devotion. 

It  was  not  until  she  had  left  the  soil  of  Virginia,  peaceful 
'now,  but  all  scarred  with  battles  and  drenched  in  blood, 
that  she  could  fully  realize  that  that  precious  life  was  now 
no  longer  at  hazard  in  the  fierce  storms  of  battle. 

Does  not  every  reader  join   in  the  prayer  that  years  of 


MBS.     FANNY    RICKETTS.  35 

deep  calm  and  blessed  union  may  reward  fidelity  so  heroic 
and  suffering  ao  great?  May  wo  not  apply  to  her  tho 
dying  words  of  tho  Suabian  nobleman  to  his  wife, 
"  Gertrude,  this  ia  faithfulness  to  the  end,"  and  tho  wish 
of  the  English  poet  for  his  friend,  whom  he  compares  to 
"  that  fair  Syrian  shepherdess,"  — 

"  After  thia  thy  travel  aoro 
Sweet  reat  seize  thee  evermore"? 


MRS.    MARY   A.    BRADY. 

AN  old  Greek  writer,  in  reflecting1  how  his  nation  had 
been  roused  from  luxury  and  stimulated  to  actions 
that  made  Greece  heroic  by  the  stress  of  the  Persian  inva 
sion,  exclaimed,  in  his  enthusiasm,  "  War  is  the  father 
of  all  things." 

In  like  manner,  we  of  America,  looking  at  all  the  latent 
heroism  that  was  developed  during  thoao  four  years  of 
national  agony  and  national  glory,  may,  in  no  accommo 
dated  sense,  hail  our  great  war  as  the  father  of  a  great 
national  peace,  before  impossible,  and  the  nurse  of  mag 
nanimous  acts,  and  lives  of  saint-like  devotion  to  the  good 
of  others. 

While,  among  those  who  composed  our  armies,  there  wore 
men  who  fought  from  very  different  motives  and  incite 
ments,  —  some  for  love  of  glory,  some  from  hatred  of  national 
injustice,  some  for  a  splendid  name,  and  some  for  an  un 
divided  nation,  —  so,  among  the  heroines,  some  followed 
their  husbands,  and  were  ready  to  dare  everything  and 
suffer  everything  for  them  and  their  cause  ;  others  sought 
the  field  out  of  a  generous  rivalry  not  to  be  outdone  in 
sacrifices  by  the  sterner  sex  ;  others  were  incited  by  pure 
patriotism  ;  while  a  few  moved  and  acted  from  motives  rarer 
and  purer,  perhaps,  than  all  these —  a  simple  and  unmixed 

(38) 


MBS.     MARY    A.     BRADY.    '  37 

desiro  to  al  levin  to  hum  tin  suffering,  a  philanthropic  kindness 
of  soul,  and  the  swelling  of  a.  large-hearted  charity,  that  was 
willing  to  labor  anywhere,  and  in  any  manner,  to  relievo  the 
wants  of  those  who  wero  suffering  pain  and  privations  in  a 
worthy  eause. 

Prominent  among  this  numerous  class  must  bo  placed 
the  record  of  the  lady  whose  name  is  written  at  the  head 
of  this  memoir. 

Mrs.  Brady  waa  not  an  American  by  birth.  She  had  no 
aon,  or  brother,  or  husbaad  in  the  war.  Born  in  Ireland, 
in  1821,  and  having  married,  in  1846,  an  English  lawyer, 
twelve  years  of  quiet  residenco  in  this  country  had,  no 
doubt,  sufficed  to  impress  her  with  American  love  and 
pride  ;  but  she  had  no  such  stake  in  tho  issue,  no  such  in 
centives  to  do  all  and  suffer  all  that  woman  can  in  such  a 
struggle,  as  might  havo  impelled  tho  exertions  of  thousands 
who  did  far  less  than  she. 

What  demand  of  mere  patriotism  could  havo  made  it 
her  duty,  as  an  American  citizen  merely,  to  forego  all  tho 
comforts  of  her  homo  in  Philadelphia,  leave  a  family  of 
five  little  children,  push  her  way  through  all  embarrass 
ments  and  delays,  through  all  tho  army  lines,  and  sometimes 
in  spite  of  general  orders,  to  tho  very  front,  or  to  those 
hospitals  where  tho  men  were  brought  in  with  clothing  red 
with  tho  fresh-flowing  gore  of  battle,  and.  spend  days  and 
weeks  at  tho  field  hospitals  just  in  the  rear  of  the  great 
battle-fields,  and  return  homo  only  to  restore  her  wasted 
energies,  and  start  out  again  on  her  errands  of  tireless  phi 
lanthropy?  Yet  f»uch  is  the  outline  of  Mrs.  Brady's  life, 
and  such  the  nummary  of  her  charities  from  the  summer 


38  WOMEN    OP   THE    WAB. 

of  1862,  when  the  sick  and  wounded  from  McClellan's  Pen 
insular  army  wore  brought  to  the  northern  hospitals,  tiH 
the  summer  of  1864,  when,  by  reason  of  her  exertions, 
exposures,  and  excitements,  the  silver  cord  of  life  was 
strung  too  tightly,  and  in  the  midst  of  her  labors,  while 
planning  fresh  sacrifices  and  new  fields  of  exertion,  iit 
snapped,  and  she  ceased  to  live,  except  in  the  hearts  of 
survivors,  and  in  the  memory  of  thousands  of  soldiers, 
who 

"  Shall  tall  their  little  children,  with  their  rhymes, 
Of  the  aweet  buinc  who  blcancd.  tho  old  wor-tiuaua." 

Tip  to  the  summer  of  18G2  tho  life  of  Mrs.  Brady  was 
unmarked  by  other  than  tho  domestic  virtues  and  tho 
charities  of  homo.  Her  life  was  that  of  an  industrious, 
kind-hearted  woman,  finding  her  chosen  and  happy  sphere 
in  the  duties  of  wife  and  mother.  She  merited  tho  eulogy 
•which  tho  Greek  orutor  bestowed  oil  that  woman,  who, 
most  intent  upon  home  duties,  was  least  talked  of  abroad, 
whether  for  praise  or  blame. 

It  was  on  the  28th  of  July,  1862,  that  Mrs.  Brady  and 
a  few  others  met  at  her  husband's  law  office,  to  take  into 
consideration  the  condition  of  tho  soldiers  who  had  been 
brought  from  James  River,  and  were  then  languishing  in 
various  hospitals  in  and  around  Philadelphia,  but  princi 
pally  at  the  Satterlee  Hospital,  in  \Vest  Philadelphia,  not 
far  from  Mrs.  Brady's  home. 

There  alone  was  an  araplo  field  for  all  their  labors, 
and  objects  to  absorb  all  tho  contributions  of  charity  and 
patriotism  that  could  be  made  to  pass  through  their  organi 
zation  as  o  channel  of  sanitary  relief.  Here  were  three 


MRS.     MARY    A.     BRADY.  39 

thousand  soldiers,  a  mutilated    fragment  of  tho  grand  army 
with  which  McClellan  had   advanced  up  tho  peninsula,  and 
•which  hud  floundered  in  the  mud  and  rain,  and  through  tho 
battles  of  tho  Chickuhominy,  and  been  reduced  by  the  six 
hard  fights  of  that  terrible  campaign.      True,  tho  worst  cases 
of  tho  wounded  wero  in  hospitals  nearer  tho  front,  at  Wash 
ington,  or  Norfolk,  or  on  James  River  ;   but  hero  were  hun 
dreds   and  hundreds   languishing  with  that  low,  dull   fever 
that    overcame  so  many  who  shared  in  that  campaign,  and 
which  was  called  in  the  army  tho  "James  River  fever."   Here, 
too,   were   tho  mutilated  men,   nursing  the   painful   stumps 
from  which    an    arm    or   a  leg   had   been   amputated.      Tho 
absolute    physical   necessities   of  these  patients   wero,   to  a 
reasonable   degree,  met   by  tho   customary  appliances  of  an 
army  hospital.      Tho   patient  had   a   bed,  narrow  and   hard, 
indeed,  but  clean.      His  food  was  such  as  the  hospital   sur 
geon  prcMcribed  —  now  a  plate  of  boiled  rice,  now  a.  slice  of 
beef,  or  n  dish  of  soup.       But  moral  and  social  restoratives 
ho  had  none.      To  wrcstlo  in   grim  patience  with  unceasing 
pain  ;    to    lie  weak  and   helpless,  thinking  of  tho  loved  ones 
on.  tho   tar-olT  hill-sido,   or  thirsty  with  unspeakable   long 
ing   for   0110  draught  of  cold  water   from   tho   spring   by  tho 
big  rock  at  the  old  homestead ;   to  yearn,  through  long,  hot 
nights,  for  one   touch  of  tho  cool,  soft   hand  of  a  sister  or  a 
wife  on  tho  throbbing  temples, — this  was  tho  dreary  routine 
of  Buttering  and  cheerlcssncss  in  tho  great  hospital  before 
Mrs.  Brady  and   her  associates   commenced   their   labors  of 
wise  and  systematic  kindness. 

Tho   object  of   their  organization  was  declared  to   bo   to 
create   committees,  who,  in  turn,  should  visit  tho   different 


4O  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR 

wards  of  the  United  States  Hospital,  for  the  purpose  of 
ameliorating  the  condition  of  the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers, 
and  to  establish  a  depot  of  sanitary  supplies,  whose  location 
should  be  generally  known  ;  to  have  their  organization 
officially  recognized  by  the  governor  and  the  military  and 
medical  authorities  of  the  United  States  ;  and  eventually, 
that  members  of  the  association  should  visit  the  hospitals 
at  ^Vnshington  and  the  army  in  the  field,  to  learn  the  wants 
of  sick  soldiers,  and  do  all  in  their  power  to  relieve  them. 

Mrs.  Brady  was  elected  president  of  the  association  ;  and 
from  that  day  to  the  hour  of  her  death  —  not  quite  two 
years  after  —  her  labors  were  unceasing,  her  devotion  un 
bounded,  and  her  discretion  unerring  in  the  great  enter 
prise  of  the  sanitary  well-being  of  the  soldiers  of  the 
republic. 

For  some  months  their  labors  were  confined  to  the  hos 
pital  at  TVest  Philadelphia.  A  committee  of  these  ladies 
regularly,  each  day,  went  the  round  of  the  hospital  wards, 
distributing  the  delicacies  and  the  various  articles  of  com 
fort  that  were  now  daily  arriving  in  a  steady  stream  at  the 
depot  for  their  hospital  supplies  on  Fifth  Street. 

But  the  ministries  of  Mrs.  Brady  and  her  corps  were  not 
confined  to  the  mere  distribution  of  currant  jelly,  preserved 
peaches,  flannel  shirts,  and  woollen  socks.  They  carried 
with  them  a  moral  cheer  and  soothing  that  were  more  salu 
tary  and  healing  than  any  of  the  creature  comforts.  Tho 
patient,  suffering  hero  of  \Villiamsburg  or  Malvern  Hill 
was  assured,  in  tones  to  whose  pleasant,  home-like  accents 
His  car  had  long  been  a  stranger,  that  his  efforts  in  behalf 
of  his  country  were  not  ignored  or  forgotten ;  that  they 


MBS.     MART    A.     BRADY".  41 

too  had  a  son,  a  brother,  a  father,  or  a  husband  in  the  fie  1:1. 
Then  tho  pallid  faco  and  the  bony  fingers  were  bathed  in 
cool  water,  and  sometimes  a  chapter  in  tho  New  Testament, 
or  paragraph  from  tho  morning  papers,  read,  in  tones  low, 
but  distinct,  and  in  such  grateful  contrast  to  those  hoarse 
battle-shouts  that  had  been  for  weeks,  perhaps,  ringing 
through  his  feverish  brain  —  "  Oolumn,  forward — dress  on 

tJte  colors aim  loio,  and   make  your  shots  tell file  right* 

inarch  !  " 

Then  tho  painful  and  inflamed  stump  was  lifted,  and  a 
pad  of  soft,  cool  lint  fitted  under  it ;  and  tho  thin, 
chalky  lips  would  move  slowly,  and  say  that  ho  "  felt 
easier." 

Hero  a  poor  fellow,  who  had  an  armless  sleeve,  was  on- 
joying  tho  services  of  a  fair  amanuensis,  who  in  graceful 
chirography  wrote  down,  for  loving  eyes  and  heavy  hearts, 
in  some  distant  villago  of  Vermont  or  Michigan,  tho  same 
old  soldier's  story,  told  a  thousand  times,  by  a  thousand 
firesides,  but  always  tnoro  charming  than  any  story  in  tho 

Arabian  Nights how,  on  that  great  day,  ho  stood  with  his 

company  on  a  hill-side,  and  saw  tho  long  gray  lino  of  tho 
enemy  come  rolling  across  tho  valley ;  how,  when  the 
cannon  opened  on  them,  ho  could  see  tho  rough,  ragged  gaps 
opening  in  tho  lino  ;  how  they  closed  up  and  moved  on  ; 
how  their  general  came  along,  and  made  a  little  speech,  and 
told  them  to  aim  low  and  then  give  them  the  bayonet ;  how 
ho  rushed  on  at  tho  command  to  "  charge  ;  "  how  this  friend 

fell  on   one   side,  and  poor  Jimmy on  the  other ;   and 

then  ho  felt  a  general  crash,  and  a  burning  pain,  and  tho 
musket  dropped  out  of  his  hand ;  then  the  ambulance  and 


42  "WOMEN    OE*    TITE    WAB. 

the  amputation,  and  what  the  surgeon  said  about  his  pluck  ; 
and  then  the  weakness,  and  tho  puiii,  and  the  hunger;  and 
how  much  better  ho  was  now  ;  and  how  kind  the  ladies  in 
Philadelphia  had  been  to  him  ;  that  ho  didn't  caro  much 
about  tho  loss  of  his  arm,  so  far  as  ho  was  concerned,  only 
ho  couldn't  do  as  much  lor  his  father  mid  mother  as  ho  had 
hoped  ;  but  ho  lost  it  in  tho  lino  of  his  duty,  and  would 
lose  tho  other  0110  rather  than  havo  tho  government  bro 
ken  up. 

Who  would  not  sew,  knit,  mako  currant  jelly,  write 
letters  for  a  hospital  full  of  brave,  patient  battlo  heroes 
like  that? 

After  their  recovery  and  return,  Mrs.  Brady  received 
numerous  letters  from  thoso  she  had  visited  iu  tho  hospitals, 
thanking  her  and  blessing  her  for  her  good  deeds. 

Tho  following,  from  a  Pennsylvania  volunteer,  is  selected 
from  a  scoro  equally  interesting  :  — 

CAMP  NEAR  BEI.LK  PLAIX,  VA.,  January  19,  18G3. 
MRS.    MAUV    A.    Bit  ADV. 

Dear  Friend  :  There  is  one  of  my  comrades  in  the  West 
Philadelphia  Hospital  (Ward  II)  by  tho  name  of  Hurry 
Grifliu.  I  wish  you  would  bo  so  kind  as  to  call  and  sec 
him  as  you  mako  your  daily  rounds. 

You  aro  engaged  in  a  good  work  in  visiting  tho  afflicted, 
and  by  contributing  to  their  wants  ;  and  surely  you  will 
reap  your  reward  in  good  season,  and  God  will  bless  you. 
Every  true-  soldier  you  havo  helped  shall  remember  you 
with  respect  and  gratitude.  I  shall  alwavs  remember  you 
myself  with  deep  feelings  of  gratitude,  and  I  shall  never 


MRS.     MARY    A.     BRADY.  43 

forget    tho    kindness   bestowed   on   me   by  the  ladies.      "A 
friend   in   need    is  a   fripnd    indeed."      My  arm  is   atill   soro. 
Believe  mo  to  bo,  madam,  yours  truly, 

JOSEPH  A.  WINTERS, 
Co.  H9  1th  Itey.  .Pa.   Vol. 

I^ato  in  tho  fall,  *\t  tho  titno  of  tho  annual  Thanksgiving, 
Mrs.  Brady  and  tho  other  Indies  determined  that  thoso  who 
still  remained — some  sixteen  hundred  —  should  not  lack 
tho  material  supplies  on  which  to  celebrate  tho  clay. 

Mrs.  Brady  and  Miss  Lydia  O.  Prico  were  tho  efficient 
committee  on  Thanksgiving  Dinner.  They  appealed  to  tho 
cities  and  towns  around  Philadelphia  in  bohalf  of  the  bravo 
fellows,  and  Mrs.  Brady  allowed  her  characteristic  kindness 
and  thoughtfuliicss  by  applying  to  Dr.  Hayes  for  tho  release 
on  that  day  of  all  tho  boys  who  for  any  indiscretion  had 
found  their  way  to  tho  guard-house.  Tho  good  surgeon 
grunted  her  request,  and  Mrs.  Brady  had  ready  for  them, 
at  the  appointed  dinner  hour,  seventy-five  turkeys,  oiio  hun 
dred  chickens,  twenty  geese,  sixty  ducks,  eight  hundred 
and  fifty  pies,  eighty-live  rice  puddings,  and  fifteen  barrels 
of  eating  apples.  Two  bakers'  establishment:?  were  placed 
at  their  disposal,  and  tho  food  brought  up  warm  to  tho 
hospital  in  covered  wagons. 

The  number  of  patients  in  this  hospital  now  rapidly 
diminished,  and,  in  December,  Mrs.  Brady  began  to  arrange 
plans  for  more  extended  and  arduous  labors  for  tho  soldier. 
At  their  depot  there  was  a  constantly  increasing  supply  of 
various  articles,  such  as  tho  soldiers  were  supposed  most  to 
need. 


44  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

Soldiers*  aid  societies  had  sprung  up  all  over  tho  state, 
aiid  Mrs.  Brady  was  widely  known  as  president  of  tho 
mother  society  iii  Philadelphia. 

Numerous  boxes  had  been  sent  to  her  cure,  and  she 
regarded  herself  as  tho  authorized  trustee  of  tho  charities 
of  large  communities. 

She  determined  not  to  trust  the  distribution  of  these 
goods  to  careless  or  unknown  agents,  but  uflcr  consulta 
tion  with  others  of  tho  association,  it  was  decided  that  Mrs. 
Brady  was  to  go  to  the  field  in  person,  and  distribute  tho 
contents  of  the  boxes  from  tent  to  tent,  as  she  found  tho 
men  in  camp  who  most  required  them. 

\Vhile  at  Alexandria  she  prepared  and  sent  home  to  tho 
association  In  Philadelphia  a  charming  narrative  of  her 
journey  and  all  its  incidents,  and  how  the  contents  of  the 
boxes  were  given  out,  and  how  tho  boys  received  them, 
and  how  she  could  have  distributed  twenty  times  as  much 
without  giving  to  any  who  did  not  require  aid. 

When  she  went  to  Fairfax  and  tho  camps  between  the 
Potomac  and  tho  Rapidan  our  national  fortunes  wcro  at 
ebb  tide.  It  was  tho  Valley  .Forgo  of  tho  war.  The 
Peninsular  campaign  had  been  magnificent,  but  a  failure, 
Then  Jackson,  and  soon  after  Loo  with  him,  had  advanced 
to  the  Potomac,  driving  Pope  before  him  into  Washington 
city.  Then  at  South  Mountain  and  Antiotam  tho  invading 
tide  had  been  met  and  rolled  back  ;  but  Lee  was  not  pur 
sued.  Then  Burnsido  had  taken  tho  army  across  tho 
Rappahannock,  and  fought  a  superior  force  under  able  gen 
erals,  on  the  worst  ground  ho  could  have  chosen,  with  such 
results  as  might  havo  been  expected.  The  army  was 


UBS.    MARY    A.    BRADY.  45 

greatly    uaed    up    and    demoralized,    and    the    sick    list   was 
fearful. 

Beyond  Alexandria,  in  tho  direction  of  Falmouth,  where 
the  army  lay,  Mrs.    Brady  camo   upon    one   camp   of  twelve 
thousand  six  hundred  convalesceuta  ;   a  little  beyond,  a  sick 
camp  of  eight  thousand,  and  in   the  forty  military  hospitals 
in  and  around  Washington  she  visited  thirty  thousand  sick 
and  wounded.      Of  course    tho    sixty   boxes   she  took    from 
Philadelphia  were  but  a  mouthful  to  a  hungry  man  ;    but  she 
gave   out  the  articles  herself,  with   true.   English  thorough 
ness    and  'perseverance,    making    numerous    inquiries,    and 
faithfully  striving  to  give  to  those  who  were   most   in   need. 
"While  travelling  among    this   army  of  tho   sick,  sho   was 
overtaken   one    evening   by  a  snow  storm,  and  was   obliged 
to  faro  like  tho  soldiers,  shivering  all   night  under  oue  gray 
blanket,  in  a  tent  without  a   fire,  and   listening  to  a  dreary 
chorus    of  coughing,    which  suggested    all    tho    grades   and 
varieties  of  pulmonary  disease.      But  her  thoughts  were  not 
on  her  personal  discomforts,  rather  on  tho  twolvo  thousand 
sick  soldiers,  in  tho    midst  of  whom  she  was   passing  but  a 
single  cheerless   night ;   and   she    hurried   home  to    ply   her 
needle,  and   stimulate  by  her  pen  the  activities  of  others, 
and    collect   as   soon    as    possible  additional  supplies.      Sho 
only  stopped  to  pay  a  flying  visit  to  the  sick  in  Washington, 
and  describes,   in  affecting   language,    how,    in   every  ward 
sho  entered,  all  who   wore   not  too  sick   or  badly  wounded 
would  rise   up   in   their    beds   in  astonishment  at  seeing  a 
lady  visitor. 

At  several  of  the    Alexandria   hospitals  tho    doctors    and 
nurses  told  her  no  other  lady  had  ever  before  called. 


46  WO1LEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

In  about  a  nioiiUi  Mrs.  Brady,  and  tho  other  ladies  of  tho 
association,  had  sixty  large  boxes  full  of  flannel  shirts, 
socks,  butter,  dried  fruit,  wine,  jelly,  preserves,  farina, 
soap,  towels,  combs,  and  several  packages  of  smoking 
tobacco,  apples,  and  onions.  Her  second  trip  was  much  like 
the  first,  exct/jt  that  now  she  penetrated  to  tho  extreme 
front,  and  heard  the  relxjl  drums  tattoo  in  tho  camps  on  tho 
other  side  of  tho  Rappahanuock,  and  tho  church  clocks 
striking  in  Fredericksburg. 

Here  sho  took  a  four-mule  wagon,  and  went  through  tho 
army,  stopping  wherever  a  little  red  flag  indicated  a  sick 
tent.  Sho  saved  a  number  of  boxes  for  tho  Alexandria 
hospitals,  and  the  convalescents  would  file  by  her  stand, 
and  receive  each  an  apple,  a  lemon,  a  handful  of  smoking 
tobacco,  or  a  pair  of  socks,  and  what  was  about  as  good, 
and  cost  nothiug,  a  cheerful  word,  a  smile,  a  pleasant  joke, 
or  a  wish  that  she  had  more  for  each. 

Returning  home,  the  month  of  April  was  passed  in  active 
preparations  for  another  trip.  Yet  her  family  was  not 
neglected.  In  camp  or  on  the  cars  sho  was  knitting  for 
them,  or  making  a  dress,  and  at  homo  divided  her  timo 
between  the  demands  of  her  family  and  tho  army,  working 
now  on  a  child's  frock  and  now  on  a  soldier's  shirt. 

JVlay  came,  and  with  it  Chancellors ville  and  its  ten 
thousand  wounded-  This  timo  sho  took  forty-five  packages, 
and  they  were  filled  with  articles  suited  to  tho  sick  and 
suffering.  With  a  view  to  immediate  and  practical  effi 
ciency,  she  took  two  cooking  stoves,  and  proceeded  at  onco 
to  the  great  field  hospital  of  the  Sixth  corps,  where  she 
soon  had  a  tent  pitched,  her  boxes  piled  around  for  a  wall, 


MBS.   M-AJttY  A.   miADY.  47 


hor  stoves  up,  and  a  littlo  squad  of  the  slightly  wounded  to 
got  wood  and  water,  open  her  boxen,  and  take  her  cooked 
articles  to  the  different  hospital  tents. 

Reporting  to  tho  division  surgeons,  and  working  under 
them,  sho  received  "  requisitions  "  that  looked  almost 
appalling,  as  she  saw  tho  rapidly  diminishing  pile  of  boxes, 
and  tho  two  cooking  stoves. 

She  writes  to  tho  association  at  Philadelphia  that  <c  fifty 
dozen  cans  of  condensed  milk,  a  hundred  dozen  fresh  eggs, 
thirty  boxes  of  lemons,  ton  boxes  of  oranges,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  pounds  of  white  sugar,  two  hundred  jars  of  jolly,  and 
twelve  dozen  of  sherry  arc  needed.  **  JEvery  thing  it*  wanted," 
she  adds,  earnestly.  "  Send  us  line  a  rags,  towels,  and 
some  cologuo  ;  some  red  and  gray  flannel  shirts,  aiid  limb 
pillows  for  tho  amputated." 

But  her  labors  wero  not  confined  to  her  littlo  extem 
porized  kitchen.  At  night  sho  could  hardly  sleep  for  tho 
groans  from  tho  tents  whero  tho  worst  cases  lay,  and  sho 
often  passed  several  hours,  moving  softly  through  thoso 
tents  of  pain,  going  to  thoso  who  seemed  to  suffer  most, 
and  soothing  them  by  words,  and  by  lil.tlo  acts  of  kindness  ; 
fitting  a  fresher  or  softer  pad  under  soiuo  throbbing  stump, 
talking  with,  somo  poor  fellow  whoso  brain  was  full  of 
fever,  and  who  thought  tho  battlo  was  not  yet  over  ;  mois 
tening  lips,  stroking  clammy  foreheads,  and  helping  another 
soldier  to  find  his  plug  of  tobacco. 

Then,  at  five  o'clock,  sho  had  tho  fires  started,  and  hon 
ored  as  many  requisitions  for  rico  pudding,  blanc  mango, 
custard,  and  milk  punch,  as  the  draught  upon  her  boxes 
could  supply.  Thia  life  lasted  till  some  time  in  Juno,  when, 


48  WOMEN  OF  Tire  WAR. 

tho  rapid  invasion  of  Loo  required  corresponding  move 
ments  on  the  part  of  Hooker,  and  the  hospitals  on  Potomac 
Creek  were  broken  up.  Mrs.  Brady  had  barely  reached 
her  home,  and  resumed  for  a  little  time  the  old  and  sacred 
round  of  domestic  life,  when  she  felt  herself  summoned  to 
sanitary  and  hospital  labors  by  a  voice  louder  and  nearer 
than  any  before  —  by  the  thunder  of  those  five  hundred 
cannon  at  Gettysburg1,  that  for  three  fearful  days  piled  tho 
ground  with  bleeding  wrecks  of  manhood. 

Operating  in  her  usual  homely  but  effective  and  most 
practical  manner,  she  at  once  sought  a  camping  ground 
near  a  great  field  hospital,  reported  for  duty  to  the  division 
surgeon,  and  had  a  squad  of  convalescents  assigned  to 
assist  her.  Her  tents  were  erected,  tho  empty  boxes  piled 
so  as  to  wall  her  in  on  three  sides,  and  the  stoves  set  up 
and  fuel  prepared ;  so  that  in  two  or  threo  hours  after 
reaching  Gettysburg,  tho  brigade  and  division  surgeons 
were  pouring  in  their  "requisitions,"  and  tho  nurses  were 
soon  passing  from  her  tent  with  tubs  of  lemonade,  milk 
punch,  green  tea  by  the  bucketful,  chocolate,  milk  toast, 
arrowroot,  rice  puddings,  and  beef  tea, — all  of  which 
were  systematically  dispensed  in.  strict  obedience  to  tho 
instructions  of  tho  medical  men.  AVhcncvcr  during  tho  day 
«he  could,  for  a  short  time  only,  be  relieved  from  thcso  self- 
imposed  kitchen  duties,  and  for  many  hours  after  nightfall, 
she  waa  sure  to  be  among  tho  cots,  beside  the  weakest  and 
those  who  suffered  most.  Her  frequent  visits  to  the  army 
had  made  her  face  familiar  to  a  great  number  of  tho 
soldiers,  so  that  she  was  often  addressed  by  name,  and 
•warmly  greeted  by  the  brave  fellows.  "To  see  the  face  of 


MRS.     MARY    A.     BRADY.  49 

a  lady  docs  us  good,  madain."      w  \Vo  are  very  glad  you  are 
come."      "  You  cheer  ua  up,  Mrs.  Brady." 

Wheu  aho  remarked  how  grateful  the  fituy-at-honies 
ought  to  feel  to  the  bravo  hearts  that  fought  so  gallantly 
for  them,  and  drove  hack  the  rebel  hordea  from  the  great 
cities  along  the  border,  simultaneously  a  chorus  of  voices 
exclaimed,  "Why,  Mrs.  Brady,  we  would  all  have  died,  to 
the  very  last  man,  right  hero  on  the  battle-field,  before  we 
would  have  let  tho  Confederates  win,  or  move  on.  Phila 
delphia." 

There  wo  find  tho  true  reason  of  tho  national  success  at 
Gettysburg.  It  was  not  that  Lee's  abilities  were  clouded  ; 
not  that  Stonewall  Jackson  was  dead.  Tho  Confederate 
force  was  never  greater,  never  more  resolute,  or  wielded 
with  more  masterly  vigor ;  but  they  had  Aiever  before  met 
an  army  that  was  raised  to  tho  heroism  of  martyrs  by  tho 
determination  to  "die  to  tho  very  last  man  right  there," 
rather  than  let  tho  rebels  win. 

Speaking  of  her  first  day  at  these  hospitals,  Mrs.  Brady 
says,  "  We  shortlv  found  ourselves  rubbing  away  tho  pain 
from  mutilated  limbs,  and  bathing  tho  feet  of  others,  speak 
ing  cheerful  words  to  them  all,  which,  latter  wo  believed 
to  do  good  like  a  medicine.  In  tho  daytime  wo  cook  and 
fill  requisitions  for  all  sorts  of  things,  and  personally  dis 
tribute  our  miscellaneous  stores  to  the  men  with  our  own 
hands,  conversing  cheerfully  with  the  patients.  Thus  wo 
spend  our  days  as  well  as  our  nights." 

Theso     labors     continued    till    August,    when     tho     field 
hospitals   at  Gettysburg  were   mostly  broken  up.      For   tho 
remaining    portion    of    the    year    1863,    as    there   were   110 
4 


50  WOMEN    OF    TIIE    WAR. 

battles  ill  Virginia,  Mrs.  Brady  remained  at  home,  and 
continued  her  hospital  labors  in  Philadelphia,  and  in  re 
ceiving  and  preparing  supplies  for  the-  approaching  winter. 
She  was  now  well  known  in  Philadelphia,  and  became  tho 
almoner  of  numerous  but  private  charities,  funds  being 
placed  in  her  hands  to  bo  used  according  to  her  discretion 
in  aiding  soldiers  or  their  families.  Tho  most  of  this 
money  she  gave  in  a  private  manner,  but  regularly,  to  the 
widows  of  those  who  had  fallen  i»i  tho  great  battles.  On 
one  occasion,  as  she  entered  a  street  car,  crowded  with 
passengers,  she  noticed  that  a  soldier  was  looking  very 
cloudily  in  her  faee.  His  sleeve  was  empty.  Presently  the 
maimed  warrior  called  out,  with  some  emotion,  "Don't  you 
know  me,  Mrs.  Brady?'*  "  Ueally,"  she  replied,  "I  can't 
quite  recollect  3*011,  I  sec  so  many  of  Undo  Sam's  brave 
boy.s."  "  Xot  recollet-t  me,  Mrs.  Brady?"  said  tho  soldier, 
his  eyes  now  filling  with  tears:  "don't  you  remember  the 
day  3*011  held  my  hand  while  the  doctors  cut  my  arm  oft*  ? 
You  told  me  to  put  my  trust  in  God,  and  that  I  should  get 
well  over  it.  You  said  I  was  sure  to  recover;  and  here  I 
am,  dear  madam,  thank  God  !  " 

It  seems  that  he  had  felt  a  natural  revulsion  when 
the  amputation  was  suggested,  but  asked  the  surgeons  to 
send  for  Mrs.  Brady,  and  he  would  do  just  as  Mrs.  Brady 
said.  She  came,  took  the  poor  fellow's  hand,  and  spoke  a 
few  low,  kind  words.  "Now  put  up  tho  sponge,"  said  ho 
to  tho  surgeon  ;  and  the  chloroform  reduced  him  to  in 
sensibility  as  his  pallid,  bloodless  hand  still  lay  in  hers. 
But,  with  the  sensibility  of  her  sex,  she  was  obliged  to  turn 
away  just  as  tho  operator  took  up  the  long,  glittering  knife. 


MRS.     MART    A.     BRADY.  51 

Early  in  the   year  18G4,  when  Meude,  in  command,  was 
manoeuvring   unsuccessfully  against   Loo   for  tho    occupation 
of  tho  south  bank  of  tho   Rapidun,  in  what  is   known  as  tho 
Mine   Run   campaign,    Mrs.  Brady   mado   her    fifth   and   last 
visit  to    tho    front.      Sho  was   now  so  well  and   so    favorably 
known,  that  every  facility  was  afforded  her  in  tho  transpor 
tation   of  her   boxes,   and    she   penetrated   to   tho   front,   and 
made   herself  useful   in   tho   primary  field   hospital   that  was 
established    in  consequence  of  tho   action  at   Morton's  Ford, 
on  the  Gth  of  February.      Her  ministrations  were  of  the  same 
nature  with  those  described  above,  except  that  here  she  saw 
tho  wounded  just  as   they  were  brought  from  the    field,  and 
shared    in    the    deep    excitements    and    agitations   of  battle. 
She  was  just  in  tho  rear  of  an.  engagement  that    threatened 
at  0110   time  to    become  general   and   bloody.      Most  of  tho 
time   she  could   secure  no   better   bed   than  a   bundle  of  Avct 
straw.      As  a  natural   consequence   of  such    hardships  and 
exposures,  we  find   her  reaching   home  011  tho    15th  of  Feb 
ruary,    "completely   worn    out."      An    examination    of   her 
condition    by  physicians     revealed   tho   grave    fact   that   rest 
and  quiet   nloiio  could    never   restore   her.      An   affection  of 
tho    heart,  which  had   existed   for   some  timo,  but  which,  on 
account  of  her  strong  health  and  fine  powers  of  constitution, 
had   never  before  caused  any  uneasiness,  had  been   rapidly 
developed   by  tho  last   few  weeks  of  uncommon  excitement 
and  fatigue. 

Vet  in  March  and  April  her  health  rallied  somewhat, 
and  she  continued  to  collect  and  prepare  tho  stores  for 
another  mission  to  tho  camp. 

May  now  came   on,  and   with  it  tho   grand    advance   of 


52  WOMEN    OF    THE    AVAR. 

tho  army  of  tho  Potomac,  now  strongly  roenforccd,  and 
wielded  by  a  fresh  champion,  just  como  from  his  great 
victories  in  tho  West;  and  the  nation  was  tiptoo  with  expec 
tation.  Then  followed  the  battles  of  tho  Wilderness  and 
Spottsylvania,  with  their  necessary  and  ghastly  sequel,  tho 
long  rows  of  hospital  tents,  acres  of  wounded,  and  suffering, 
and  sick,  with  tho  demand  for  everything  that  c:m  assuage 
pain,  niul  reiiivigorato  tho  languid  or  exhausted  currents 
of  life.  But  Mrs.  Brady  could  not  respond  to  this  call,  as 
she  had  douo  when  other  battles  wero  fought.  Disease  had 
seated  itself  at  tho  fountains  of  her  life.  The  abnormal 
action  of  tho  heart  grow  worse  and  worse,  causing  uow  tho 
most  acute  suffering.  Skilful  physicians  wero  summoned  ; 
but  science  was  batfled,  and  tho  appalling  announcement 
fell  with  unexpected  and  crushing  weight  upon  tho  inmates 
of  that  homo  of  which  she  was  tho  centre  and  the  sun,  that 
no  human  skill  could  prolong  that  life,  but  within  a  few 
weeks  those  live  little  children  must  bo  motherless. 

On  the  very  day  that  sealed  the  fato  of  Virginia,  tho 

27th  of  May,  1864,  —  when  Lee  gave  up  the  open  contest 
with  his  too  powerful  antagonist,  and  fell  sullenly  back  to 
his  intrenchmcnta  at  Petersburg  and  Richmond,  she,  whose 
mind  even  then  was  turned  from  tho  solemn  surroundings 
of  tho  cicath-bcd,  and  tho  tearful  faces  of  her  children,  to 
tho  suffering  heroes  of  those  great  fights,  —  she  was  sum 
moned  away  from  all  stormy  scenes  and  arduous  labors, 
into  tho  kingdom  of  perpetual  peace. 

Tho  burial  of  her  remains  took  place  on  tho  1st  clay  of 
June.  Hundreds  of  soldiers  and  officers  of  tho  army  of  tho 
Potomac  sont  to  the  surviving  members  of  tho  family  their 


MHS.    MARY    A.    BRADY.  53 

fervent  tributes  to  tho  worth,  beauty,  and  strength  of  her 
character,  and  expressions  of  gratitude  for  tho  kindness 
they  hud  experienced  at  her  hands. 

A  very  largo  number  of  sorrowing  friends,  and  poor 
people,  and  widows  of  soldiers,  and  five  ministers  of  that 
religion  of  lovo  and  charity  which  sho  had  so  eminently 
practised,  wcro  in  attendance  at  her  funeral,  and  paid 
abundant,  yet  not  undue,  honor  to  tho  memory  of  tho  dead  ; 
for,  during  tho  forty-two  years  of  her  earthly  existence,  as 
long  as  life  and  strength  remained  to  enable  her  to  labor 
for  tho  good  of  others,  had  sho  not  followed  closely  in 
the  steps  of  .Him  who  always  \vent  about  doing  good,  and 
reproduced  tho  virtues  of  that  Scripture  heroine,  tho 
woman  that  was  "  full  of  good  works  and  alms-deeds,  which 
she  did  continually  "  ? 


KADY    BROWNELL, 

THE      HEROINE      OF      NEW  BE  UN. 

ALL  oui-  revolutionary  historians  are  eloquent  in  their 
praises  of  the  bold,  heroine  of  Moiimouth,  "  Captain 
Molly."  They  tell  us  how  sho  was  currying  .water  to  tho 
men.  of  Proctor's  battery  on  that  hot  and  bloody  afternoon 
in.  July,  when  a  ball  crushed  in  tho  skull  of  her  husband, 
just  as  ho  was  ramming  a  charge  into  hid  field  piece,  uud 
he  fell  at  her  feet  a  bloody  corpse.  "Lie  thero,  my  darling, 
till  I  avenge  your  death  I "  exclaimed  Molly,  and  seizing  tho 
rammer,  she  went  on  with  tho  work  which  death  hud  cvit 
short,  while  tho  men  cheered  her  all  along  tho  line.  Ail 
through  that  afternoon,  till  night  covered  tho  landscape 
and  closed  tho  battle,  Molly  stood  by  her  gun,  and  made 
good  her  husband's  place,  swabbing  tho  piece,  and  forcing 
homo  the  successive  charges  with  the  vigor  and  coolness  of 
the  bravest  soldier.  Tho  next  morning  she  was  presented 
to  General  Wayne,  all  soiled  and  bloody  as  sho  had  fought ; 
and  TVashington  gave  her  a  commission,  as  sergeant,  and  by 
his  recommendation  her  name  was  placed  on  the  list  of  half- 
pay  officers  for  life. 

Tho  annals  of  our  great  war  for  tho  Union  arc    not  want 
ing   ill   similar   instances  where   tho  wife  of   tho    soldier   has 


*.: 


ing  in  _. 


KA1>V     BROWN  ELL.  55 

go  no  with  her  husband,  experienced  all  the  hardships  of  tho 
camp,  stood  in  the  Line  with  sword  at  her  side,  carried  tho 
colors  into  tho  thickest  of  tho  tight,  and  then,  when  tho 
bloody  work  was  over,  devoted  herself,  with  tho  delicato 
tenderness  of  her  sex,  to  mitigating  the  horrors  of  tho 
battle-field. 

Such  was  tho  bravo  young  wife  whoso  name  stands  at  tho 
head  of  our  sketch  ;  and  such  were  her  courage,  her  bearing, 
and  her  services  on  tho  plains  of  Manassas  and  at  the  battlo 
of  JSiowbcru-  Her  father  was  a  Scotchman,  and  a  soldier 
in  tho  British  army.  lie  \vas  stationed  far  away  on  tho 
African  coast,  in  Cafl'raria  ;  and  there,  in  tho  year  18-12,  in  tho 
regimental  barracks,  and  surrounded  by  tho  rude  but  kind 
old  soldiers,  her  father's  companions  in  arms,  little  Ivady 
was  born. 

Accustomed  to  arms  and  soldiers  from  infancy,  sho 
learned  to  lovo  tho  camp  ;  and  it  was  not  strange,  years 
later,  when  she  had  como  to  America  and  married  a  young 
mechanic  in  Providence,  that  tho  recollections  of  tho 
camp  tiro  in  front  of  her  father's  tout,  as  \vell  as  the  devo 
tion  of  a  newly-married  wife,  and  loyalty  to  tho  Union, 
prompted  her  to  follow  her  husband,  stand  beside  him  in 
battle,  and  share  all  his  hardships. 

Her  husband,  Robert  S.  Browiiell,  was  mudo  orderly 
sergeant  of  a  company  in  tho  First  Ilhodo  Island  infantry, 
0110  of  tho  earliest  regiments  of  three  moiitlis'  men  who 
responded  to  tho  first  call  for  troops,  the  day  after  national 
colors  wcro  run  down  tho  flag-mast  at  Fort  Suratcr. 

The  First  Ithodo  Island  infantry  waa  soon  full  to  over 
flowing.  It  had  eleven  full  companies  of  a  hundred  each  -t 


5G  TVOMEX  OF  TILE:   WAR. 

and  as  tea  were  enough  for  a  complete  organization,  tho 
eleventh  was  formed  into  a  company  of  carbineers  or  sharp 
shooters,  and  tho  bravo  young  wife  of  the  orderly  was 
made  the  color-bearer  of  this  company. 

\Vhen  the  regiment  went  into  camp  in  Maryland,  early  in 
the  summer  of  1801,  this  Daughter  of  tho  Regiment  was 
resolved  not  to  bo  a  mere  water-carrier,  nor  an  ornamental 
appendage.  She  would  be  effective  against  the  enemy,  as 
well  as  o>  graceful  figure  011  parade,  and  applied  herself  to 
learn  all  the  arts  and  accomplishments  of  the  soldier. 
^Vheii  the  company  went  out  to  practise  daily  at  tho  target, 
she  carried  her  ritle,  as  well  as  the  colors  ;  and  when  her 
turn  came,  tho  men  seldom  restricted  her  to  the  three  shots 
which  were  allowed  to  each.  So  pleased  were  they  by  her 
skill  and  coolness  with  tho  weapon,  that  she  was  allowed  as 
many  shots  as  she  chose,  and  thus  became  one  of  tho  quickest 
and  most  accurate  marksmen  in  tho  regiment.  Nor  was 
the  sergeant's  straight  sword,  which  hung  at  her  belt,  worn 
as  an  idle  form.  She  practised  daily  with  her  husband  and 
his  friends  in  camp,  till  sho  felt  herself  as  familiar  with  its 
uses  as  with  the  carbine. 

AVheii  the  regiment  moved  she  sought  no  indulgences  on 
account  of  her  sex,  but  marched  in  line  beside  her  husband, 
wearing1  her  sword  and  carrying  tho  flag. 

Tho  middle  of  July  came,  and  the  Union  army  was  at 
length  moving  southward  from  tho  Potomac,  its  face  -set 
to  wards  Richmond.  Sho  inarched  with  her  company,  and 
carried  her  flag.  On  tho  day  of  tho  general  action  she  was 
separated  from  her  husband,  tho  carbineers  with  whom  sho 
was  connected  being  deployed  as  skirmishers  in  the  skirt  of 


BttOWXEUL.  57 

piuo  woods  on  the  loft  of  tho  lino.  About  ono  o'clock  on 
that  eventful  day  tho  company  was  brought  under  tiro.  She 
did  not  carry  her  carbino  that  day,  but  acted  simply  as 
color-bearer.  Tho  men,  according  to  skirmish  tactics,  were 
taken  out  by  fours,  and  advanced  towards  tho  enemy.  She 
remained  in  tho  lino,  guarding  tho  colors,  and  thus  giving  a 
definite  point  on  which  the  men  could  rally,  as  tho  skirmish 
deepened  into  a  general  engagement.  There  sho  stood, 
unmoved  and  dauntless,  under  tho  withering  heat,  and  amid 
tho  roar,  and  blood,  and  dust  of  that  torriblo  July  duy. 
Sheila  went  screaming  over  her  with  tho  howl  of  an 
avenging  demon,  and  tho  air  was  thick  and  hot  with  deadly 
singing  of  tho  miiiio  balls.  About  four  o'clock,  fur  away 
on  the  right,  whcro  tho  roar  had  been  loudest,  a  sudden 
and  marvellous  change  cauio  over  tho  BCOIIO.  Tho  Union 
line  was  broken,  and  what  was  a  few  moments  before  a  ririii 
and  resolute  army,  worn  and  bleeding,  but  pressing  to 
victory,  became  a  confused  and  panic-stricken  rout. 

The  confusion  now  ran  down  tho  lino,  from  right  to  left, 
and  tho  sharpshooters  of  tho  First  Rhocio  Island,  seeing  tho 
battle  lost  and  tho  oiiemy  advancing,  made  tho  beat  retreat 
they  could  in  tho  direction  of  Ceiitrevillo.  But  so  rapidly 
spread  tho  panic,  that  they  did  not  rally  oil  their  colors 
and  retreat  in  order.  Sho  know  her  duty  better,  and 
remained  in.  position  till  tho  advancing  batteries  of  tho 
enemy  opened  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  where  sho 
stood,  and  -\vcro  pouring  shells  into  tho  retreating  mass. 
«Jut>t  then  a  soldier  in  a  Pennsylvania  regiment,  who  was 
.running  past,  seized  her  by  tho  hand,  and  said,  "  Come,  sis  ; 
there's  no  uso  to  stay  hero  just  to  bo  killed  ;  let's  get  into 


58  WO^UEN    OP    THE    WAR. 

the  woods."  Sho  started  down  a  slope  with  him  towards  a 
pine  thicket.  They  had  rim  hardly  twenty  steps,  when  a 
camion  bull  struck  him  full  on  the  head,  and  in  an  instant 
he  was  sinking  beside  her,  a  shapeless  and  mutilated  corpse. 
His  shattered  skull  rested  a  moment  on  her  shoulder,  and 
streams  of  blood  ran  over  her  uniform. 

She  kept  on  to  tho  woods,  where  sho  found  somo  of  the 
company,  and  before  long  chanced  upon  tho  ambulance, 
into  which  she  jumped  ;  but  the  balls  were  flying  too  thick 
through  tho  cover.  Sho  sprang  out,  and  soon  after  found 
a  stray  horse,  on  which  she  jumped,  and  rode  to  Centreville. 
Here  and  at  Arlington  Heights,  for  moro  than  thirty  hours, 
sho  was  tortured  by  tho  most  harassing  stories  about  her 
husband. 

One  had  seen  him  fall  dead.  Another  had  helped  him 
into  an  ambulance,  badly  wounded.  Another  had  carried 
him  to  a  hospital,  and  tho  enemy  had  fired  the  building,  and 
all  within  had  perished.  Then,  again,  sho  learned  that  his 
dead  body  was  loft  in  tho  skirt  of  pine  woods  in  front  of 
where  sho  stood.  So  fully  did  sho  believe  this  at  one  time, 
that  she  had  mounted  a  horse,  and  was  starting  bark  from 
Alexandria,  in  hope  of  getting  through  tho  lines  and  finding 
him,  when  sho  was  met  by  Colonel  Burnsido,  who  assured 
her  that  Robert  was  unhurt,  and  she  should  see  him  in  a 
few  hours. 

Tho  first  Rhode  Island  was  a  three  months  regiment,  and 
its  time  expired  on  tho  1st  of  August. 

Sho  returned  with  it  to  Providence,  where  she  received  a 
regular  discharge  ;  but  it  was  only  to  reeulist  with  her. 
husband  in  the  Fifth  Rhode  Island.  Tho  fall  of  18G1  was  a 


KADY    BROWNELL.  59 

tirao  of  inaction  in  the.  army.  McClcllan  had  taken  com 
mand,  and  for  mouths  tho  great  Union  army,  with  a  spirit 
and  intelligence  never  equalled  ill  any  military  organiza 
tion,  and  abounding  in  zeal  for  "short,  sharp,  and  decisive" 
work,  was  month  after  month  getting  ready  to  move. 
Meantime  Burnsiclo,  who  was  a  colonel  at  Hull  Run,  hud 
been  made  a  brigadier,  and  placed  in  command  of  tho 
Burnsido  expedition,  whoso  duty  it  was  to  penetrate  tho 
country  south  of  Richmond,  and  at  the  opportune  moment 
to  advance  on  Richmond  from  that  direction,  while  tho 
grand  army  should  march  upon  it  from  tho  north. 

Tho  Fifth  Rhodo  Island  was  in  hid  force.  In  January 
Roanoko  Island  was  taken,  and  the  first  blow  struck  at  tho 
rebel  power.  Early  in  March  ho  was  in  Neuso  River,  and 
advancing  on  Newborn.  In  tho  organization  of  the  regi 
ment  Ivady  waa  not  now  a  regular  color-bearer,  but  acting  in 
tho  double  capacity  of  nurso  and  daughter  of  the  regi 
ment.  When  tho  force  debarked,  on  tho  thirteenth,  she 
marched  with  tho  regiment  fourteen  miles,  through  the 
mud  of  Neuso  River  bottom,  and  early  tho  next  morn- 
iiig  attired  herself  in  tho  coast  uniform,  as  it  was  called, 
"and  waa  in  readiness,  and  was  earnest  in  the  wish  and 
tho  hope  that  sho  might  carry  the  regimental  colors  at 
the  head  of  tho  stormera  when  they  should  charge  upon 
tho  enemy's  field  works. 

Sho  begged  tho  privilege,  and  it  was  finally  granted  her, 
to  go  with  them  "up  to  tho  timo  whon  tho  charge  should  ho 
ordered.  lloro,  by  her  promptness  and  courage,  sho  per 
formed  an  act  which  saved  the  lives  of  perhaps  a  score  of 
bravo  fellows,  who  woro  on  the  point  of  being  sacrificed  by 


CO  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

ono  of  those  blunders  which,  cannot  always  bo  avoided 
when  so  largo  a  proportion  of  the  officers  of  any  force  are 
civilians,  whoso  coolness  is  not  equal  to  their  courage. 

As  the  various  regiments  were  getting  their  positions, 
the  Filth  Rhode  Island  was  seen  advancing  from  a  belt  of 
wood,  from  a  direction  that  was  unexpected.  They  woro 
mistaken  for  a  force  of  the  rebels,  and  preparations  in 
stantly  made  to  open  on  it  with  both  musketry  and 
artillery,  when  Kady  ran  out  to  the  front,  her  colors  in 
hand,  advanced  to  clear  ground,  and  waved  them  till  it 
was  apparent  that  the  advancing  force  were  friends.  Tho 
battle  now  opened  in  good  earnest.  Shot  and  shell  were 
flying  thick,  and  many  a  bravo  man  was  clinching  his 
musket  with  nervous  fingers,  and  looking  at  the  bristling 
line  of  bayonets  and  gun-barrels  which  they  were  about  to 
charge  with  anything  but  cheerful  faces,  when.  KLady  again 
begged  to  curry  her  colors  into  the  charge.  But  the  officers 
did  not  see  fit  to  grant  her  request,  and  she  walked  slowly 
to  the  rear,  and  immediately  devoted  herself  to  tho  equally 
sacred  and  110  less  important  duty  of  caring  for  tho  wounded. 

In  a  few  moments  word  was  brought  that  Robert  had 
fallen,  and  luy  bleeding  in  tho  brick-yard.  That  was  the 
part  of  tho  lino  whcro  tho  Fifth  Rhodo  Island  had  just 
charged  and  carried  tho  enemy's  works.  Sho  ran  imme 
diately  to  tho  spot,  and  found  her  husband  lying  there,  his 
thigh  bone  fearfully  shattered  with  a  minio  ball  ;  but,  fortu 
nately,  tho  main  femoral  artery  had  not  boon  cut,  so  that  his 
life  was  not  immediately  in  danger  from  bleeding. 

Sho  went  out  whero  tho  dead  and  wounded  were  lying 
thick  along  tho  breastwork,  to  got  blankets  that  would  no 


BBOWNELL.  61 

longer  do  them  any  good,  in   order  to   make  her   husband 
and  others  more  comfortable. 

Hero  she  saw  several  lying  helpless  in  the  mud  and  shal 
low  water  of  tho  yard.  Two  or  three  of  them  she  helped 
up,  and  they  drag-god  themselves  to  dryer  ground.  Among 
them  was  a  rebel  engineer,  whose  foot  had  been  crushed  by 
tho  fragment  of  a  shell.  She  showed  him  the  samo  kind 
ness  that  sho  did  tho  rost ;  and  tho  trcatmont  she  received 
in  return  was  so  unnatural  and  fiendish  that  wo  can  hardly 
explain  it,  except  by  belioviiig  that  tho  hatred  of  tho  time 
had  driven  from  tho  hearts  of  some,  at  least,  of  the  rebels, 
all  honorable  and  all  Christian  sentiments. 

Tho  rebel  engineer  had  fallen  in  a  pool  of  dirty  water,  and 
was  rapidly  losing  blood,  and  growing  cold  in  consequence 
of  this  and  tho  wator  in  which  ho  lay. 

Sho  took  him  under  his  arms  and  dragged  him  back  to 
dry  ground,  arranged  a  blanket  for  him  to  lie  on,  and 
another  to  cover  him,  and  fixed  a  cartridge  box,  or  some 
thing  similar,  to  support  his  head. 

AB  soon  as  ho  had  grown  a  little  comfortable,  and  rallied 
from  tho  extreme  pain,  ho  rose  up,  and  shaking  his  fist  at 
her,  with  a  volley  of  horrible  and  obscene  oaths,  exclaimed, 

"  Ah,    you    d Yankee  ,   if  ever  I  get  on  my   feet 

again,   if  I   don't   blow  the    head   off   your   shoulders,    then 

God  d mo  !  "      For  an  instant  tho  blood   of  an  insulted 

•woman,  tho  daughter  of  a  soldier,  and  the  daughter  of  a 
regiment,  was  in  mutiny.  She  snatched  a  musket  with 
bayonet  fixed,  that  lay  close  by,  and  an  instant  moro  his 
profane  and  indecent  tongue  would  have  bcven  hushed 
forever.  Cut,  as  sho  was  plunging  the  bayonet  at  his 


62  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

breast,  a  wounded  Union  soldier,  who  lay  near,  caught  tho 
point  of  it  in  his  hand ;  remonstrated  against  killing  a 
wounded  enemy,  no  matter  what  ho  said  ;  and  in  her  heart 
tho  woman  triumphed,  and  she  spared  him,  iugrato  that 
he  was. 

She  returned  to  tho  house  where  Robert  had  been  carried, 
and  spreading-  blankets  under  him,  made  him  as  comfortable 
as  he  could  be  at  a  temporary  hospital.  Tho  nature  of  his 
wound  was  such  that  his  critical  time  would  come  two  or 
three  weeks  later,  when  the  shattered  pieces  of  bone  must 
come  out  before  the  healing  process  could  commence.  All 
she  could  do  now  was  simply  to  keep  tho  limb  cool  by 
regular  and  constant  applications  of  cold  water. 

From  the  middle  of  March  to  tho  last  of  April  sho 
remained  in  Newborn,  nursing  her  husband,  who  for  some 
time  grew  worse,  and  needed  constant  and  skilful  nuraing 
to  save  his  life.  When  not  over  him,  sho  was  doing  all  sho 
could  for  other  sufferers.  Notwithstanding  her  experience 
with  the  inhuman  engineer,  the  wounded  rebels  found  her 
the  best  friend  they  had.  Every  day  she  contrived  to  savo 
a  bucket  of  coffee  and  a  pail  of  delicate  soup,  and  would 
take  it  over  and  give-  it  out  with  her  own  hands  to  tho 
wounded  in  tho  rebel  hospital.  "VVhilo  sho  was  thus  waiting 
on  these  helpless  and  almost  deserted  sufferers,  sho  one  day 
saw  two  of  the  Newborn  ladies,  who  had  come  in  silks  to 
look  at  their  wounded  countrymen.  One  of  them  was 
standing  between  two  beds,  in  such  a  position  as  to  obstruct 
the  narrow  passage.  Our  heroine  politely  requested  her 
to  let  her  pass,  when  she  remarked  to  the  other  female 
who  came  with  her,  "That's  one  of  our  women — isn't  it?" 


KAT>Y     BKOWNELL,.  (33 

"No,"  was  tho  sneering  response,  "she's  a  Yankee  ," 

using  a  term  which  never  defiles  the  lips  of  a  lady.  The 
rebel  surgeon  very  properly  ordered  her  out  of  tho  house. 

It  is  but  justice,  however,  to  say  that  in  some  of  her 
rebel  acquaintances  at  Newborn  human  nature  was  not  so 
scandalized. 

Colonel  Avery,  a  rebel  officer,  soon  after  ho  was  cap 
tured,  said  something  to  her  about  carrying  the  wrong  flag, 
and  that  "  tho  stars  and  bars  "  was  the  flag.  "  It  woiift  be 
the  flag  till  after  your  head  is  cold,"  was  her  quick  rep^-. 
The  colonel  said  something  not  so  complimentary  to  her 
judgment,  when  General  Buruside,  who  was  standing  near, 
told  him  to  cease  that  language,  as  ho  was  talking  to  a 
woman.  Immediately  tho  colonel  made  tho  most  ample 
apologies,  and  expressed  his  admiration  of  her  spirit  and 
courage,  and  afterwards  insisted  on  her  receiving  from  him 
sundry  Confederate  notes  in  payment  of  her  kindness  to 
tho  wounded  among  his  men.  There  was  ono  poor  rebel, 
who  died  of  lockjaw  from  an  amputated  log,  whom  she 
really  pitied.  lie  said  ho  "  allua  was  agin  tho  Avar  — 
never  believed  Jeff  Davis  and  them  would  succeed  no  how," 
and  talked  about  his  poor  wife  and  his  seven  children,  who 
would  bo  left  in  poverty,  and  whom  ho  would  never  sco 
again,  in  a  way  so  natural  and  kindly  that  she  forgot  all 
about  the  brutal  engineer  and  tho  insulting  woman  in  silk, 
and  did  all  sho  could  to  niako  tho  poor  old  man  comfortable. 
Ho  was  fond  of  smoking,  and  in  tho  terrible  pain  he 
suffered,  tho  narcotic  effect  of  tho  tobacco  was  very  sooth 
ing.  Kadjr  used  to  light  his  pipe  for  him  at  tho  hospital 
fire,  and  go  and  give  it  to  him. 


64  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

In  April  Robert  could  bear  removal,  and  was  made  as 
comfortable  as  possible  on  a  cot  on  the  steamship.  Arriving 
in  New  York,  he  lay  a  long  time  at  the  New  England 
Rooms  ;  and  his  faithful  wife,  as  tender  as  sho  is  brave, 
thought  only  of  his  life  and  his  recovery.  But  it  was 
eighteen  months  before  ho  touched  ground,  and  then  tho 
surgeons  pronounced  him  unfit  for  active  service  ;  and  as  his 
soldier  days  were  over,  Kady  had  no  thought  of  anything 
more  but  the  plain  duties  of  tho  loving  wife  and  the 
kind  friend.  The  colors  she  so  proudly  carried  she  still 
keeps,  as  well  as  her  discharge,  signed  A.  E.  Burnsidc,  and 
the  sergeant  sword,  with  her  name  cut  on  the  scabbard,  and 
sundry  other  trophies  of  the  Newborn  days.  An  excellent 
rifle,  which  sho  captured,  she  gave  to  a  soldier  friend,  who 
carried  it  back  to  the  front,  and  fought  with  it  till  the  war 
was  ended. 


THE  HEROINE  OF  SHETECK  LAKE. 

A     STORY     OF    BORDER    SUFFERING. 

TIIK  indirect  and  remote  sufferings  occasioned  by  tho 
groat  civil  war  in  America  have  been  almost  as  great 
as  tho  direct  miseries  produced  by  battles.  Tho  greater 
part  of  our  standing  army  is,  in  time  of  peace,  stationed 
along  tho  western  frontier,  nnd  in  a  long  series  of  outposts 
that  extend  from  tho  cool  and  lonely  lakes  of  Western 
Minnesota  oil  tho  north  to  tho  haunts  of  tho  savago  Co- 
mauchcs  on  tho  Aloxican  border. 

"When  tho  groat  demands  of  tho  crisis  fell  upon  tho 
country  in.  tho  spring  of  1861,  tho  first  and  most  obvious 
result  was  tho  calling  eastward  of  all,  or  nearly  all,  tho 
regiments  of  tho  regular  army  who  had  been  for  tho  long 
years  of  peaco  interposed  as  a  barrier  of  steel  between  tho 
painted  and  treacherous  barbarians  of  tho  mountain  and  tho 
prairie  and  tho  over-advancing  lino  of  industrious  civiliza 
tion.  Lyoii  and  Sadgwiek,  tlio  heroic  Lander,  and  tho  indom- 
itablo  Colonel  Cross,  with  some  who  enlisted  on  tho  southern 
side,  and  tho  rank  and  file,  making  an  aggregate  of  nearly 
thirteen  thousand  troops,  were  suddenly  withdrawn  from,  tho 
frontier ;  and  this  left  a  long  lino  of  pioneer  settlement 
wholly  unprotected  from  tho  treacherous  and  savago  foe.. 
5  C&5)' 


66  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAR. 

The  result  might}  easily  be  imagined,  if  it  were  not  a  part 
of  our  national  history. 

Naked  Camanchca  were  creeping  through  the  high  grass 
of  Western  Texas,  and  shooting  ploughmen  and  shepherd 
boys  almost  within  sight  of  the  state  capital.  The  western 
settlements  of  Arkansas  and  Kansas  were  unsafe  ;  and  far 
ther  north,  on  the  western  lino -of  Iowa  and  Minnesota,  tho 
Sioux,  friendly  and  peaceable  only  when  utterly  crushed, 
•were  raising  their  heads,  and  perpetrating  a  scries  of  atro 
cities  and  murders  which  recall  tho  old  story  of  Wyoming", 
and  tho  early  settlement  of  Kentucky.  About  tho  17th  of 
August  a  party  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  or  three  hundred 
Indians  proceeded  to  the  agency  at  Yellow  Medicine,  and 
commenced  an  indiscriminate  slaughter  of  all  tho  whites, 
young  and  old,  male  and  female.  Then  the  marauders, 
flushed  with  success,  pressed  on  with  their  work  of  death, 
murdering,  with  tho  most  atrocious  brutalities,  tho  settlers 
in  their  isolated  farm-houses,  violating  and  then  killing 
women,  beating  out  the  brains  of  infants,  or  nailing  them 
to  the  doors  of  houses,  and  practising  every  species  of 
atrocity  which  their  fiendish  natures  prompted. 

Tho  following  account  of  the  sufleriiigs  of  Mrs.  Ilurd  and 
her  children  was  elicited  from  her  in  an  examination  beforo 
tho  United  States  commissioners  at  Davenport,  in  Iowa ; 
and  during  tho  rccitul  of  her  story  the  audience  were  many 
times  melted  to  tears,  and  for  a  littlo  whilo  business  was 
suspended,  and  the  hail  of  justice  turned  into  a  houso  of 
mourning.  Tho  narrative  is  somewhat  condensed,  lint  tho 
simple  words  in  which  Mrs.  Hurd  told  it  are  retained  as 
far  as  possible. 


THE    HEROINE    OP    6IIETECK    LAKE.  07 

"I  was  bom  in  tho  western  part  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  and  removed  with  my  parents  to  Stoiiben  County,  iu 
Iowa,  where  I  passed  my  childhood.  I  was  married,  in 
ltff>7,  to  Phincas  1*.  Ilnrd,  and  wo  went  to  live  in  LaCros^c, 
Wisconsin,  and  remained  tliere  about  tu'o  years  ;  and  then 
wo  started  west,  and  settled,  with  a  few  others,  on  Sheteek 
Lake,  in  Murray  Comity,  about  a  hundred  miles  west  of 
Mankato,  on  tho  Minnesota  River.  It  was  a  beautiful  lake, 
and  tho  lands  around  were  excellent  for  grass  and  wheat. 
There  were  not  many  of  us;  but  wo  were  contented,  and 
thought  wo  had  a  permanent  and  happy  home.  Tho  Indians 
hung  around  tho  lake,  as  it  was  an  old  hunting-ground  of 
theirs  ;  but  they  had  sold  out  their  title,  and  appeared  to  bo 
very  friendly.  I  knew  a  good  many  of  them,  for  they 
would  often  come  in  and  ask  for  something  to  eat,  and  I 
always  treated  them  well.  Somo  time  in  June,  Mr.  Huril 
and  another  man  left  homo  on  a  trip  to  Daeotah,  taking  a 
span  of  horses  and  a  wagon,  expecting  to  be  gone  about  a 
month.  Wo  had  two  children,  and  Mr.  Voight  was  living 
with  us,  and  had  charge  of  the  farm. 

"lie  had  been  gone  over  two  months,  and  I  began  to 
grow  very  anxious  about  him.  One  morning,  tho  20th  of 
August  £18(>2], —  it  was  about  five  o'clock  in  the  morn 
ing,  —  and  I  had  just  gone  out  to  milking,  and  left  rny  two 
children  asleep  in  the  house,  when  about  twenty  Indiana 
rodo  up  and  jumped  oil"  their  horses.  I  saw  that  ono  ot  tho 
horses  was  in  tho  span  that  Mr.  Ilurd  hail  when  ho  started 
on  his  trip.  As  soon  as  I  got  to  tho  house,  tho  Indians 
went  in,  and  commenced  to  light  their  pipes  and  smoke. 
Pretty  soon  my  youngest  child  woko  up,  and  was  fright- 


G8  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAR. 

cued  :it  seeing  so  many  Indians,  and  began  to  cry.  Mr. 
Voight  took  him  up  and  carried  him  out  into  tho  front  yard, 
when  one  of  the  Indians  stepped  to  the  door,  and  shot  him 
through  the  body,  so  he  fell  dead,  with  tho  child  in  hia  arms. 
.Ad  soon  as  this  shot  was  heard,  ten  or  fifteen  more  Indians 
and  squaws  rushed  into  tho  house,  and  began  to  destroy 
everything  they  could  lay  their  hands  on.  AVo  had  a  good 
stock  of  cows,  and  I  had  worked  hard,  and  had  on  hand 
about  two  hundred  pounds  of  butter  and  twenty-three 
cheeses.  All  this  the  Indians  dcstroj'ed  ;  and  while  it  was 
going  on,  some  of  them  told  me  they  would  not  kill  me  and 
the  children  if  I  would  not  give  any  alarm,  but  go  cast,  by 
a  very  blind  road,  to  the  nearest  settlement.  They  started 
me  .oil"  just  as  I  was,  without  even  a  sun -bonnet  .011,  and 
would  not  let  me  dress  either  of  the  children. 

"They  went  out  with  me  about  three  miles.  I  took  tho 
youngest  in  my  arms,  and  led  tho  other,  a  little  boy,  be 
tween  three  and  four  years  old.  There  were  seven  of  them 
who  started  with  me  ;  and  I  took  just  one  look  at  what  had 
been  our  prosperous  and  happy  home,  now  full  of  naked 
and  painted  savages. 

"  Before  they  left  me  they  repeated  the  condition  on 
which  they  would  spare  me  and  the  children  :  that  we  wero 
to  keep  straight  east,  across  the  open  prairie  ;  that  all  tho 
whites  were  to  be  killed,  but  I  might  go  to  my  mother.  I 
was  bareheaded,  the  children  almost  naked,  and  wo  had  not 
a  mouthful  of  food,  nor  a  blanket  to  shelter  iis  in  tho  cool 
nights  or  in  a  storm.  A\ro  took  tho  unfrequented  road  into 
which  the  Indians  had  conducted  us.  It  was  clear,  and  tho 
sun  shone  uncommonly  bright  ;  but  the  dew  on  tho  grass 


THE    HEROINE    OF    8ITETECK    LAKE.  09 

•was  cold  and  heavy.  William  Henry  was  barefoot,  and 
dressed  very  thin,  and  ho  clung  close  to  me,  and  begged 
me  to  go  back  to  the  house.  lie  did  not  know  of  the 
death  of  Mr.  Voight,  as  I  kept  him  from  seeing  the  body  ; 
and  he  cried  pitcously  at  first,  but,  after  11  while,  pressed 
my  hand,  and  trudged  manfully  along  by  my  side.  The 
little;  0110  was  asleep  in  my  arms,  unconscious  of  our  situa 
tion.  About  ten  o'clock  in  the  forenoon  a  thunder-storm 
came  on,  and  the  rain  and  wind  were  violent  for  about  three 
hours.  I  heard  two  guns  fired,  and  I  knew  that  my  neigh 
bor,  Mr.  Cook,  was  killed. 

"During  the  storm  I  lost  the  trail,  and  all  that  afternoon 
walked  on,  not  knowing  whether  I  was  right  or  wrong. 
"Water  stood  on  all  the  lower  parts  of  the  prairie,  and  I  kept 
looking  for  a.  dry  place  where  we  could  spend  the  night. 
At  last  I  came  to  a  sand  hill,  and  sat  down  oil  the  top  of  it, 
to  rest  for  the  night.  I  laid  my  children  down,  and  leaned 
over  them,  to  keep  the  rain  oft*  their  faces  and  protect  them 
from  the  cold  wind.  Hungry,  and  tired,  and  wet  as  ho 
was,  William  fell  asleep,  and  slept  nearly  all  night  ;  but 
the  little  one  worried  a  good  deal,  and  the  night  wore  away 
slowly.  As  soon  as  I  could  see,  I  took  up  the  little  ones, 
and  moved  on.  About  seven  o'clock  I  heard  guns,  and  then 
I  knew  I  had  lost  my  way,  and  was  still  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
lake.  I  changed  my  course,  and  went  away  from  the  direc 
tion  in  which  the  guns  were-  hoard.  Tint  no  trail  was  visible. 
I  was  not  conscious  of  hunger  myself,  but  it  was  so  dis 
tressing  to  hear  my  precious  little  boy  crying  for  his  bread 
and  milk,  and  moaning  with  hunger  and  weakness  !  It  was 
wet  and  misty  all  that  day.  Towards  night  William  grew 


70  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

sick  and  vomited,  and  it  seemed  impossible  for  him  to  keep 
up  any  longer.  Tho  youngest  still  nursed,  arid  did  not 
seem  to  suffer  materially. 

"About  dark,  the  second  day,  I  struck  a  road,  and  saw, 
to  my  sorrow,  that  I  was  only  four  miles  from  what  had 
been  my  home,  and  had  not  yet  commenced  my  terrible 
journey  ncro.ss  tho  prairio. 

"Tlit-ii,  for  a  little  while,  my  heart  sank  in  me,  and  I 
thought  it  would  bo  sonic  satisfaction  to  die  right  there, 
and  end  our  weary  journey  on  this  travelled  road,  over 
•which  I  had  passed  with  my  husband  in  happier  days. 
But  tliis  feeling  was  but  for  a  moment.  I  took  courage, 
and  started  011  the  road  to  Now  Ulm.  "When  it  was  quite 
dark  I  stopped,  and  passed  the  night  as  I  had  tho  former, 
without  sleep.  In  the  morning  I  started  on.  It  was  foggy, 
and  the  grass  wet ;  tho  road,  being  but  littlo  travelled,  wus 
grown  up  with  grass.  William  was  so  faint  and  sick  that 
ho  could  not  walk  milch  of  tho  time  ;  so  I  was  obliged  to 
carry  both.  I  was  now  much  reduced  in  strength,  and  felt 
ver}-  hungry.  My  boy  no  longer  asked  for  food,  but  was 
thirsty,  and  drank  frequently  from  pools  by  the  road-side. 
I  was  too  weak  to  carry  both  my  children  at  the  same  time, 
but  took  one  a  distance  of  a  quarter  or  half  a  mile,  laid  it 
in  tho  grass,  and  went  back  for  tho  other.  In  this  way  I 
travelled  twelve  miles,  to  a  place  called  Dutch  Charlie's, 
sixteen  miles  from  I^ako  Shcteck.  I  arrived  there  about  sun 
set,  having  been  sustained  in  my  weary  journey  by  the  sweet 
hope  of  relief.  "\Vhat  was  my  consternation  and  despair 
when  I  found  it  deserted  and  perfectly  empty  I  The  house 
had  not  been  plundered  by  tho  Indians,  but  abandoned  by 


THE    HUHOENE    OP    BBDETEGK.    LAKLE.  71 

the  owner.  My  heart  died  within  me,  and  I  sank  down  in 
despair.  But  the  crying  of  my  boy  aroused  mo.  I  had 
promised  him  food  when  wo  got  there  ;  and  when  none  could 
bo  found,  ho  cried  bitterly.  But  I  could  not  shed  a  tear.  I 
found  somo  green  corn,  which  I  tried  to  eat ;  but  my  stomach 
rejected  it.  I  found  somo  carrots  and  onions  growing  in 
the  garden,  which  I  ato  raw.  My  oldest  child  continued 
to  vomit.  I  oilcred  him  some  carrot,  but  ho  could  not  eat 
it.  That  night  I  staid  in  a  cornfield,  and  in  the  morning, 
at  daylight,  continued  my  search  for  food. 

"To  my  great  delight,  I  found  the  remains  of  a  spoiled 
ham.  Hero  I  mny  say  my  good  fortune  began.  There  was 
no  more  than  a  pound  of  it,  and  that  much  decayed  ;  and  I 
saved  this  for  my  boy,  feeding  it  to  him  in  very  small 
quantities.  His  vomiting  ceased,  and  ho  revived  rapidly. 
I  gathered  moro  carrots  and  onions  ;  and  with  this  storo  of 
provisions,  about  eight  o'clock  on  tho  morning  of  tho  third 
day,  I  again  set  forth  on  my  weary  road  for  tho  residence 
of  Mr.  Brown,  twenty -five  miles  distant,  and  reached  it  in 
two  days.  Under  the  effects  of  the  food  I  was  able  to  give 
my  boy,  ho  gained  strength,  and  was  able  to  walk  all  the  last 
day.  When  within  two  or  three  miles  of  Air.  Brown's  house, 
two  of  our  old  neighbors  from  Luko  Shoteck  settlement 
overtook  us,  under  the  escort  of  tho  mail-carrifer.  Both  of 
them  had  been  "wounded  by  tho  Indians,  and  left  for  dead. 
Thomas  Ireland  had  been  hit  with  eight  balls,  and,  strange 
to  say,  was  still  able  to  walk,  and  had  done  so  most  of  the 
way.  Mrs.  Estleck  was  utterly  unable  to  Avalk,  having 
beeu  shot  in.  the  foot,  in  the  side,  and  through  tho  arm. 
The  mail-carrier  had  given  her  his  aeat  in  tho  buggy,  and 


72  "WOMEN    OF    TH  K    WAB. 

was  walking  bcsido  tho  horse.  At  first  I  thought  they  were 
the  Indians,  and  that  I  and  my  littlo  ones,  after  five  days  of 
such  fearful  suffering  and  hunger,  must  die  by  tho  hands 
of  the  savages.  I  did  not  dare  to  look  around,  but  kept  on 
my  way  till  overtaken ;  and  then  my  joy  was  so  great  at 
seeing  my  friends  alive,  that  I  sank  to  tho  earth  insensible. 
Wo  staid  at  Mr.  Brown's  house  ten  days,  living  on  pota 
toes  and  green  corn.  Mr.  Ireland  and  tho  carrier  went  on 
to  New  Ulm,  and  found,  the  settlement  in  ashes,  tho  Indians 
having  burned  nearly  two  hundred  houses.  A.  party  of 
twelve  men,  with  a  wagon,  -was  sent  to  our  relief,  and  wo 
were  made  comfortable  ;  but  tho  sad  and  sickening  thought 
was  now  fully  confirmed  in  my  mind  that  my  husband  had 
been  killed  in  tho  general  massacre  of  all  tho  remote 
settlements,  and  my  fatherless  children  and  myself  left 
beggars." 

It  is  some  gratification  to  know  that  tho  government  has 
been  very  kind  to  these  unhappy  border  sufferers,  restoring 
to  them  the  value  of  their  property  destroyed.  Governor 
Ramsay  considers  that  not  less  than  five  hundred  persons 
were  murdered  by  tho  savages,  and  that  between  twenty 
thousand  and  thirty  thousand  persons  fled  for  their  lives, 
leaving  everything  behind  them.  For  some  months  be 
tween  seven  thousand  and  eight  thousand  persons,  mostly 
in  tho  sad  condition  of  Mrs.  Hurd,  were  dependent  upon 
the  charity  of  their  friends.  The  property  thus  lost  and 
destroyed  was  between  two  and  three  millions,  most  of 
which  was  restored  by  confiscating  tho  annuity  paid  these 
Minnesota  Sioux.  It  is  also  a  satisfaction  to  know  that  in 


THE    TTRROrNE    OF    SUETECK    LAKE.  73 

about  a  month  after  tho  data  of  thoao  atrocious  barbarities, 
tho  wholo  of  thcso  Indians  wore  met  by  our  troops  in  a 
battlo  at  Wood  Lake,  on  tho  22d  of  September,  and  utterly 
defeated.  Five  hundred  wore  taken  prisoners,  of  whom 
threo  hundred  wero  sentenced  to  bo  hanged  ;  but  tho  sentence 
was  finally  executed  on  thirty-eight  only  of  tho  ringleaders. 
Littlo  Crow,  tho  chief  who  instigated  tho  whole  insurrec 
tion,  succeeded  in  making  his  escape  into  tho  wilds  of 


Mrs.  Ilurd  now  finds  a  homo  with  her  brother,  in  La 
Crosso,  Wisconsin.  ;  and  though  tho  government  has  dealt 
generously  with  her,  and  abundant  sympathy  has  been 
manifested  in  her  sufferings,  nothing  can  -  bring  back  to 
her  tho  murdered  husbaud,  tho  beauty,  tho  loveliness, 
and  tho  sunny  future  opening  before  her  oil  that  pleasant 
August  morning,  when,  liko  tho  leap  of  a  tiger,  that  storm 
of  savugo  desolation  swept  upon  her,  and  in  a  brief  half 
hour  left  her  to  tho  awful  consciousness  of  being  a  widow, 
houseless,  ami  without  food,  with  two  almost  naked  chil 
dren  in  an  open  prairie. 

Tho  great  Latin  poet  has  touched  a  chord  of  universal 
sympathy  in  his  elegant  description  of  the  flight  of  his  hero 
from  burning  Troy,  bearing  his  aged  father  on  his  shoulders, 
and  leading  his  little  boy,  who  trotted  along  besido  him, 
his  little  steps  all  unequal  to  tho  warrior's  stride. 

Our  heroine  bore  her  two  children  during  a  part  of  her 
fearful  flight,  but  having  been  without  food  for  nearly 
sixty  hours,  and  all  the  time  sustaining  the  little  0110  on 
her  arm  by  food  from  her  bosom,  was  compelled  to  deposit 


74  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAR. 

half  her  precious  cargo  in  tho  gross,  and  return  for  the 
other;  thus,  on  the  two  days  when  she  travelled,  advancing 
twelve  miles  each  day,  herself  walking  thirty-six.  Could 
tho  force  of  nature  go  farther?  Do  our  aiiuals  anywhere 
contain  a  more  remarkable  instance  of  the  wonderful  sus 
taining  power  which  maternal  love  cuu  inspire  iu  tho 
delicato  frame  of  woman? 


MARGARET   E.    BRECKINRIDGE. 

IN  tho  midst  of  tho  tedious  and  disheartening  siege  of 
Vic-ksburg,  when  hundreds  and  thousands  of  our  bravo 
boys  in  blue  were  floundering  in  tho  mud  of  tho  Sun 
flower  Swamp,  and  pneumonia  and  typhoid  fever  were 
slaying  moro  than  fell  i»y  tho  bullet,  two  ladies  were 
standing  on  tho  deck  of  a  steamer,  in  tho  rear  of  tho  belea 
guered  city. 

One  was  unusually  slender  in  figure;  and,  in  tho*  fine, 
strong  lines  of  her  nobly-modelled  head,  and  tho  steady 
brightness  of  hor  dark  cyo,  it  was  easy  to  read  tho  marks 
of  superior  character,  uncommonly  fine  natural  abilities, 
and  that  heroio  so  If- forget  fulness,  which,  since  the  days 
when  the  sand  of  tho  Roman  amphitheatre  was  red  with  tho 
blood  of  saints,  has  decorated  tho  annals  of  Christianity 
\vith  tho  long  roll  of  holy  martyrs.  Even  tho  devoted  baud 
of  women  who  had  gone  down  to  nurso  the  sick  and  suffer 
ing  soldiers  in  that  dreary  place,  felt  that  she  was,  fatally 
to  her  own  life,  foremost  in  her  devotion,  and  was,  all  too 
soon  for  those  who  loved  her  here,  winning  her  celestial 
crown. 

One  present  ohided  her  eagerness  for  hospital  labor,  and 
said,  "You  must  hold  back;  you  aro  going  beyond  your 
strength  ;  you  will  dio  if  you  aro  not  more  prudent." 

(73) 


76  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAR. 

Instantly  the  sleudcr  form  dilated,  and  the  dark  eyo 
glittered  with  the  intense  enthusiasm  of  her  soul,  as,  with  a 
voice  of  impressive  earnestness,  she  exclaimed,  "  Well, 
what  if  I  do  !  Shall  men  come  hero  by  tens  of  thousands, 
and  fight,  and  suffer,  and  die,  and  shall  not  some-  women  bo 
willing  to  dio  to  sustain  and  succor  them  ?  " 

In  a  little:  more  than  a  year  from  the  time  when  IVfargaret 
Breckinridgc  uttered  those  thrilling  and  memorable  words, 
she  made  good  her  utterances  by  her  deeds  ;  and  the  rich 
young  life,  full  of  promise,  polished  with  the  finest  culture, 
and  warm  with  beautiful  affections,  had  been  offered  on  tho 
altar  of  patriotic  zeal. 

The  blood  that  this  noblo  girl  carried  in  her  veins,  and 
the  name  she  bore,  were  guarantees  of  a  fine  character. 
Her  grandfather  was  John  Breckinridge,  of  Kentucky,  who 
in  1806  was  taken  from  a  high  position  in  the  national 
Senate  to  fill  the  office  of  Attorney-General  of  tho  United 
States,  and  died  ero  his  faculties  and  his  fame  had  reached 
their  meridian,  soon  after  taking  his  seat  in  tho  cabinet  of 
Jefferson.  His  son,  John  Breckinridge,  ID.  D.,  the  father 
of  Margaret,  while  a  student  at  Princeton,  in  1815,  gave  up 
tho  brilliant  political  career  to  which  his  great  abilities  and 
the  name  of  his  father  in  a  manner  committed  him,  and 
consecrating  his  talents  to  Christian  virtue  and  the  church, 
became  tho  Ajax  of  Orthodox  Christianity  in  tho  south- 
west,  and  afterwards  a  great  light  among  the  churches  of 
Baltimore  and  of  New  Jersey. 

Mrs.  Breckinridge  was  the  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Samuel  Miller,  who,  though  dead,  yet  speaketh  to  tho 
churches  through  those  great  theological  writings,  which, 


MARGARET    E.    BREOKTNRIDOE.  77 

*• 

•with  tho  productions  of  hia  colleague,  Dr.  Alexander,  havo 
bccoino  classics  in  tho  American  church.  When  Margaret 
was  six  years  old  her  mother  died,  and  three  years  after, 
her  gifted  father,  so  that  her  tutelage  and  education  fell  to 
her  grand-parents,  at  Princeton,  in  whoso  family  she  grew 
up  to  womanhood,  though  making  long  visits  to  Kentucky  ; 
aud,  after  tho  marriage  of  her  sister  Alary,  in  1852,  having 
her  home  mostly  in  the  family  of  that  brilliant  and  patriotic 
martyr  in  tho  war,  her  brother-in-law,  Colonel  Peter  A. 
Porter,  of  Niagara,  who  fell  before  Kichmoiid,  in  the  sum 
mer  of  18G4,  leading  hia  regiment  in  tho  deadly  charges  at 
Cole  Harbor. 

With  so  much  in  her  family  history  and  surroundings  to 
breathe  of  patriotism,  zeal,  and  devotion,  it  is  not  etrungo 
that,  from  the  outset  of  tho  Avar,  Margaret  Brockiuridgo 
was  possessed  with  tho  idea  of  becoming  a  hospital  nurse 
while  tho  war  lasted.  To  do  what  she  could,  and  all  Unit 
sho  could,  to  aid  in  the  fierco  strugglo  against  rebellion, 
Avas  the  object  ever  before  her  eyes,  and  filling  her  heart. 

But  tho  delicacy  of  her  health,  and  an  unwillingness  to 
brave  tho  kind  dissuasion  of  all  her  friends,  induced  her  to 
remain  hi  Princeton  till  the  spring  of  18i»2,  when  the  vast 
proportions  and  evident  duration  of  tho  strugglo  became 
apparent  to  all. 

But  during  this  first  3rcar  fiho  did  all  sho  could  with  her 
pen,  as  well  as  her  needles,  to  advance  tho  common  cause. 
The  Princeton  Standard  has  several  articles  by  Miss  Brcck- 
inridgc,  which  compare  favorably  with  the  finest  utterances 
of  that  stirring  timo. 

Though  the  lips  of  a  girl  \vero  at   the    mouthpioco    of  tho 


78  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAR. 

clarion,  it  gave  no  uncertain  or  foeblo  'note.  Tako  tho 
following" :  — 

**  England  has  her  standing  army  ready  at  her  sovereign's 
call,  but  England  never  saw  what  wo  havo  seen.  She  never 
saw  the  hills  and  valleys  start  to  life  with  armed  men  ;  and 
from  tho  eastern  seaboard,  tho  northern  hills,  the  western 
prairies,  and  the  sunny  plains  and  mountain,  sides  which 
rebellion  thought  to  claim,  saw  tho  growing  streams  pour 
inward  to  a  common  centre,  leaving  in  their  track  tho 
deserted  workshop,  the  silent  wheel,  tho  idlo  tool,  and  tho 
ungathorcd  harvest.  All  was  forgotten,  but  tho  danger 
threatening  the  country  in  which  each  man  was  a  sovereign, 
tho  city  which  belonged  aliko  to  all,  and  tho  rulers  whom 
tho  right  of  suffrage  had  proclaimed  tho  people's  choice. 
Is  not  this  as  it  should  be  7  Surely  they  only  who  govern 
themselves  can  fight  heartily  and  bravely  for  tho  preserva 
tion  of  that  noble  right  of  self-government. 

"There  is  a  legend  of  a  holy  man,  to  -whom  God  spoke  at 
midnight,  and  said,  '  Rise,  and  write  what  I  shall  tell  thce  ;  ' 
but  he  answered,  'Lord,  I  havo  110  light.*  And  God  said, 
'Rise,  and  write  as  I  bid  tlico,  and  I  will  givo  thee  light.' 
So  ho  obeyed.  His  fingers  sought  tho  pen,  and  as  ho 
touched  it  to  the  parchment,  his  hand  glowed  with  light 
that  streamed  from  under  it,  and  illumined  all  tho  chamber. 
So  it  has  been  with  us.  It  was  tho  voice  of  God  that 
roused  us  to  see  the  peril  which  menaced  liberty  and  union. 
It  was  only  for  the  rescue  of  such  liberty  and  such  a  Union 
as  ours  that  a  nation  could  havo  been  so  roused  ;  and  there 
fore  from  this  very  uprising  come  new  light  and  strength  ; 
for  that  Union  must  bo  worth  our  lives  and  fortunes  tho 


MARGARET    E.    BRECKINRTDCJ  E .  79 

possibility  of  whoso  destruction  has  called  a  nation  to  its 
feet.  Yes,  good  seceding  brothers,  the  Union  ia  worth  all 
that  we  can  give  ;  '  thero  aro  many  things  dearer  to  a  nation 
than  oven  blood  and  treasure  ; '  and  wo  must  bring  you 
homo  like  the  prodigal,  and  restore  to  you  all  that  you  have 
madly  flung  away,  whatever  it  may  cost  us.  You  may  hug 
to  your  bosoms  tho  narrow  liberties  arid  loose-twisted  union 
of  your  new  Confederacy  for  a  little  while,  but  your  waking 
will  como  as  surely  as  ours.  O,  if  ho  who  stirred  tho 
people  .vith  his  war-cry  a-  hundred  years  ago,  could  como 
back  now,  and,  standing  whore  ho  stood  then,  gaze  upon 
the  ruins  3rou  have  made,  do  you  not  think  ho  would  lift  his 
hand  to  Heaven  onco  more,  praying,  'If  this  is  liberty,  O 
give  me  death  I  '  " 

In  April,  18(52,  Miss  Brcckin  ridge  left  her  home  in 
Princeton  for  tho  AVost,  and  with  tho  full  intention  of 
devoting  herself  to  tho  soldiers  for  tho  war. 

Remaining  somo  weeks  in  Baltimore,  she  there  com 
menced  her  hospital  labors  ;  and  tho  letters  aho  wrote  from 
that  place  show  the  hearty  satisfaction  she  took  in  the 
work,  and  tho  deep  interest  she  felt  in  tho  individual  cases 
committed  to  her  care. 

Hero  she  contracted  measles  from  somo  of  tho  wards 
which  she  constantly  visited,  so  that  during  this  summer 
her  health,  never  firm,  received  a  serious  shock.  But  in 
Laxiiigton,  Kentucky,  where  the  summer  and  fall  were 
passed,  she  resumed  her  work  in  tho  hospitals  of  that 
place. 

Her  pen,  too,  was  busy,  and  she  has  left  several  incidents 
of  Jack  Morgan's  and  Kirby  Smith's  invasions,  that  aro 


80  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

charmingly  told,  and  throw  much  light  on  tho  real  state  of 
things  in  Kentucky  that  summer.  One  is  too  good  to  be 
omitted. 

''On  Tuesday,  tho  2d  of  September,  Kirby  Smith  and 
his  body-guard  rode  iuto  Lexington,  and  took  formal  pos 
session  of  tho  town  without  tho  firing  of  a  gun.  '  Lor, 
massii,'  said  one  of  his  negro  attendants,  'disdo  easiest  took 
town  wo  got  yet.'  Flushed  with  his  success,  ho  issued  an 
order  for  tho  observance  of  Jeff  Davis*  Thanksgiving  Day, 
and  notified  tho  different  clergymen  that  their  churches 
must  bo  opened.  Perplexity  sat  upon  reverend  faces  when 
the  day  came.  But  two  churches  were-  opened,  and  in  one 
a  secretly  delighted  pastor  sat  gazing  at  empty  pews,  and 
in  the  other  a  dismayed  congregation  sat  gazing  at  an  empty 
pulpit.  At  last  they  sent  for  General  Smith  to  conio  and 
officiate  in  person. 

"  lie  went  with  a  great  deal  more  reluctance  than  he  did 
into  the  first  Bull  Run  battle,  where  his  opportune  arrival 
gave  Johnston  the  victory  ;  and  when  ho  reached  tho  pulpit 
his  embarrassment  was  not  diminished  to  find  them  all 
Presbyterians,  while  what  religion  ho  had  was  of  tho  Epis 
copal  typo.  But  ho  drew  tho  prayer  book  from  his  pocket, 
read  most  of  the  service  wrong,  and  without  being  sustained 
by  any  very  prompt  or  hearty  responses  from,  tho  audience. 
At  length,  dismissing  his  little  flock  of  goats,  ho  came  oufc 
of  church  a  sadder  and  a  wiser  man,  and  found  the  good 
people  of  Le-xiiigtoii  crowding  around  a  train  of  Union 
ambulances,  that  were  taking  the  wounded  from  tho  battle 
at  Richmond,  Kentucky,  on  to  Cincinnati,  —  bidding  them 
good  by,  filling  their  haversacks  and  canteens,  and 


MARGARET    E.     BRECKXNUTDOE.  81 

whispering  to   them,  f  Every  one  of  you,  bring  a  regiment 
with  you  when  you  como  back.' 

"  lie  confessed  that  ho  was  not  prepared  for  such  a 
demonstration  over  Union  soldiers,  and  sucb  an  utter  lack 
of  interest  in  Jeff  Davis*  Thanksgiving  Day. 

ft<  Whcro  does  General  Smith  preach  this  morning?*  said 
a  lovely  Union  lady  to  the  sentinel  at  headquarters,  the 
next  Sunday. 

ctt  Von  are  mistaken,  ma'am,'  replied  the  obtuse  sentinel. 
c  General  Smith  isn't  a.  preacher  at  all.'  " 

In  the  fall  of  18G2  Miss  Breckinridgo  left  Kentucky 
to  spend  the  winter  in  St.  Louis  with  her  brother,  Judge 
Breckiuridgc,  whoso  house  was  her  western  home.  Im 
mediately  on  her  arrival  she  commenced  her  visits  at  tho 
hospitals  in  that  city.  After  two  days  spent  at  Jefferson 
Bui-racks,  she  says,  "  I  shall  never  be  satisfied  till  I  get 
right  into  a  hospital  to  live  till  tho  "war  is  over.  If  you 
are  constantly  with  the  men,  you  have  hundreds  of  oppor 
tunities  and  moments  of  influence  in  which  you  can  gain 
their  attention  and  their  hearts,  and  do  more  good  than  in 
any  missionary  field." 

Iii  December,  1862,  Grant  commenced  tho  movements 
that  in  July  following  gave  Vicksburg  to  tho  Union  arms 
and  opened  tho  Mississippi  from  its  source  to  its  mouth. 
Throughout  this  winter,  from  December  to  March,  Miss 
Breckinridgo  realized  her  wish,  being  constantly  with  tho 
men  in  tho  hospital,  for  sho  passed  her  wholo  tirno  on  the 
transports  or  at  tho  great  hospitals  at  Young's  Point  and 
at  Helena,  where  five  thousand  died  from  disease,  and  there 
were  at  one  time  twelve  thousand  sick. 
6 


82  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

Mrs.  J.  C.  Hogo,  of  Chicago,  ono  of  her  colaborcrs  in 
that  field,  has  given,  in  a  few  paragraphs  and  incidents,  a 
fine  picture  of  Miss  Breckiuridgc  as  a  hospital  nurse  : 

"  It  has  been  my  privilege  to  know  many  devoted  women 
in  our  American  hospitals  ;  hut  I  can  truly  say,  110  one  has 
impressed  mo  as  she  did.  Her  fragile  form,  beaming  face, 
musical  voice,  and  youthful  appearance,  were  wonderfully 
fascinating  to  the  soldiers.  Her  transparent  purity  and 
simple  dignity  awed  them,  and  as  I  have  visited  them,  from 
cot  to  cot,  I  have  heard,  after  she  had  passed,  the  outburst 
of  a  soldier's  enthusiastic  gratitude  again  and  again. 

"f  Ain't  she  an  angel?  '  said  a  gray-haired  veteran  to  me, 
as  I  followed  her  on  the  steamer  City  of  Alton,  to  assist 
her  in  giving  the  boys  their  breakfast.  'She  never  seems 
to  tire  ;  she  is  always  smiling,  and  don't  seem  to  walk. 
She  flies  all  but.  God  bless  her  !  ' 

"  Said  another,  it  fair  boy  of  seventeen  summers,  as  sho 
smoothed  his  hair,  and  told  him,  with  glistening  eyes,  ho 
would  soon  see  his  mother  and  the  old  homestead,  and  bo 
won  back  to  life  and  health,  — 'Ma'am,  where  do  you  como 
from?  How  could  such  a  lady  as  you  are  come  way  down 
here  to  take  care  of  us  poor,  sick,  dirty  boys?'  Said  she, 
'I  consider  it  an  honor  to  wait  on  you,  and  wash  off  tho 
mud  you've  waded  through  for  me.' 

"Said  another,  'Lady,  plcaso  write  down  your  name,  and 
let  me  look  at  it,  and  take  it  home,  and  show  my  wife  who 
wrote  my  letters,  and  combed  my  hair,  and  fed  me.  I  don't 
believe  you  are  like  other  people.' 

"  And  then,  as  sho  x>assed  on,  they  would  fold  their 
hands,  and  say,  'God  bless  her,  and  spare  her  life.'  Thus 


MAUOARRT    E.     BRECKINHIUGE.  83 

her  days  passed  ;  and  though  God  soon  took  her  to  himself, 
her  weeks  of  army  labor  might  count  as  years  for  the  use 
fulness  aud  tho  blessings  with  which  they  were  crowded. 

"  In  her  tour  of  a  week  with  mo  through  tho  north-west 
to  visit  tho  Aid  Societies,  her  earnestness  and  whole-souled 
devotion  to  tho  soldiers'  interests  overcame  her  timidity, 
and  she  was  induced  to  tell  somo  interesting  facts  concern 
ing  tho  sufferings  of  tho  soldiers  and  loyal  people  in  tho 
border  states.  Her  memory  is  fragrant  now  among  these 
simple-hearted,  patriotic  people.  Sho  stirred  them  up  to 
increased  labor,  and  tho  mention  of  her  name,  and  allusion 
to  her  death,  bring  forth  tears  from  thoso  who  only  saw 
and  heard  her  once,  but  they  loved  her.  She  pleaded  her 
own  cause  eloquently  when  admonished  to  rest  from  hos 
pital  work.  She  had  counted  the  cost,  and  stood  ready  to 
die,  if  need  bo,  as  tho  hero  in  tho  front  ranks  of  battle. 
Methitiks  tho  crown  she  now  wears  must  bo  richly  studded 
with  immortal  souls,  for  in  all  her  army  work  she  preached 
Christ,  and  him  crucified." 

Tho  letters  of  Miss  IJreckinridgc,  written  on  board  tho 
transports,  from  Helena,  and  St.  Louis,  arc  full  of  the  most 
touching  accounts  of  sick  and  dying  soldiers.  Tho  following 
is,  110  doubt,  0110  that  she  related  with  effect  to  tho  various 
ladies'  Aid  Societies  which  she  visited  with.  Airs.  Hogo  : 

"  Soon  after  tho  capture  of  one  of  the  rebel  forts  in  tho 
west,  a  lady  went  into  tho  hospital  where  tho  wounded  had 
been  taken.  Sho  was  much  attracted  by  two  young  men, 
lying  side  by  side,  all  splintered  and  bandaged,  so  that 
they  could  not  move  hand  or  foot,  but  so  cheerful  aud 
happy-looking,  that  sho  said, — 

" f  Why,  boys,  you  look  very  bright  to-day  ! ' 


8i  WOMEN*     OF    THE    WAR. 

" '  O,  yes/  they  said,  'we're  all  right  now.  We've  been 
turned  this  morning.' 

"  And  she  found  that  for  six  long  weeks  they  had  Iain  in 
one  position,  and  for  the  first  time  that  morning  had  been 
moved  to  the  other  side  of  their  cot. 

'"And  were  yon,'  she  asked,  'among  those  poor  boys 
who  were  left  lying  where  yon  fell  that  bitter  morning,  till 
you  froze  fast  to  the  ground  ?  '  '  Yes,  ma'ain,'  they  said,  '  wo 
were  lying  tliere  two  days.  You.  know  they  hud  no  time  to 
attend  to  us;  they  had  to  go  and  take  the  fort/  'And 
didn't  you  think  it  was  very  cruel  in  them  to  leave  you  to 
sutler  so  long?*  '  1V7tt/9  Jto,  ttuCutn;  ICG  iuan(eil  them,  to  yo 
and  take  the  fort.' 

"  'Rut,  when  they  took  it,  you  were  in  too  mueh  agony 
to  know  or  care  for  it  ?  ' 

"  '  O,  no,  ma'am  !  '  they  answered,  with  flashing  eyes,  and 
faces  glowing  with  tho  recollections  of  that  day  ;  '  there 
were  a  whole  lot  of  iis  wounded  fellows  on  the  hill-side, 
watching  to  see  if  they  would  get  tho  fort.  When  wo  saw 
they  had  it,  every  one  of  us  that  had  a  wholo  arm  waved 
it  in  tho  air,  and  we  hurrahed  till  tho  air  rang  again.'  " 

In  a  letter  published  in  tho  Princeton  Standard,  and 
describing  a  trip  011  a  hospital  transport  from  St.  Louis  to 
Young's  Point,  and  back  to  Memphis,  she  says,  "There's 
a  soldier's  song  of  which  they  are  very  fond,  and  which  I 
will  copy  for  you.  sonic  day,  one  verso  of  which  often  comes 
back  to  mo  :  — 

4  So  I've  had  a  sight  of  drilling, 

And  I've  roughed  it  many  days; 
Yes,  and  death  had  nearly  had  me  ; 
Yet  I  think  the  service  puya." 


MAItOAILET    E.     BRECKENRTOOE.  85 

"Indeed,  it  does  —  richly,  abundantly,  blessedly;  and  I 
thank  God  that  ho  has  honored  mo  by  letting  me  do  a  little 
and  suffer  a  little  for  this  grand  old  Union,  and  the  dear, 
bravo  fellows  who  arc  fighting  for  it. 

"  Just  before  wo  parted  with  our  boat-load  of  sick  at 
Memphis,  one  of  my  convalescents,  a  fine,  trustworthy  fel 
low,  camo  to  mo  with  a  Httlo  noto,  \vhich  ho  handed  mo 
without  a  word.  'Read  it  at  your  leisure,'  ho  said,  when  I 
askecl  him  tvhat  it  was.  It  contained  a  few  honest,  touch 
ing,  simple  words  of  thanks,  written,  in  the  name  of  all  the 
sick  in  my  ward,  and  you  may  well  imagine  it  13  a  greater 
treasure  to  mo  than  an  autograph  letter  from  the  greatest 
man  on  earth  would  be. 

"  I  don't  know  that  I  havo  over  told  you  how  much  I  am 
amused  by  the  curiosity  of  people  as  to  hoio  much  salary  I 
get,  and  how  often  I  am  assailed  with  the  question,  c  How 
much  do  you  get  a  month  ?  '  At  first  I  was  indignant  ;  now 
I  laugh  over  it.'* 

In  March  her  health  was  found  too  much  impaired  to 
allow  her  to  make  any  rnoro  trips  on  tho  transports  ;  but 
in  St.  Louis  who  continued  to  vi«it  tho  hospitals,  and  labor 
among  tho  refugees  and  freedmeii.  Sho  was  busy  also 
with  her  pen,  and  in  sewing  and  knitting  for  tho  soldiers. 
Tho  natural  wondering  as  to  who  might  wear  the  socks 
upon  which  her  fingers  wero  occupied,  sho  has  expressed 
in  the  following  graceful  lines,  published  at  tho  time  in  tho 
Princeton.  Standard  : 

*'  Here  I  ait,  at  the  same  old  •work, 

Knitting  and  knitting  from  daylight  till  dork ; 
Thread  over  and  under,  and  back  and  through, 


86  WOMEN    OF    THE    AVAR. 

Knitting  socks  for — I  don't  know  who; 

But  in  fancy  I've  acun  Idui,  and  talked  with  him  too. 

"  He'd  no  hero  of  gentle  birth, 
He's  litUo  in  rank,  but  he'd  much  in  worth  j 
He'd  plain  of  speech,  and  strong1  of  Limb; 
He'd  rich  in  heart,  but  lie's  poor  of  kin  ; 
There  are  none  at  home  to  work  for  liim. 

"  Hi",  act  hid  lips  with  a  start  and  a  frown 
When  he  hua.nl  that  the  dear  old  flag  was  allot  down 
From  the   wu.ll.-i  of  Port  Suniter,  and,  flinging  away 
His  toold  and  hid  apron,  stopped  but  to  day 
To  hid  comrades,  *  I'm  going%  whoever  may  a  lay ;  * 
And  was  'listed  and  goau  by'  tho  clo*e  of  the  day. 

44  And  whether  lie  watchea  to-night  on  tho  aeu, 
Or  kindled  his  camp-fire  on  lone  Tybee, 
By  river  or  mountain,  wherever  ho  IMS, 
I  know  he'd  the  noblest  of  all  that  are  there, 
Tho  promptest  to  do,  and  the  bravest  to  dare, 
The  atrongcat  in  trust,  and  the  last  to  despair. 

"  So  here  I  ait  at  the  aauic  old  work, 

Knitting  socks  for  tho  soldiers  from  daylight  till  dark, 
And  whimpering  low,  oa  the  thread  flies  through, 
To  him  who  shall  wear  them,  —  I  don't  know  who,  — 
*  Ah,  my  aoldier,  fight  bravely  ;  be  patient,  bo  true* 
For  douie  one  id  knitting  and  praying  for  you.'  " 

She  remained  in  St.  Louis  until  about  tho  middle  of" 
May,  when  she  visited  Chicago,  and  made  those  visits  to 
tho  various  Aid  Societies  alluded  to  in  tho  letter  of  Mrs. 
Hogo.  Sho  then  proceeded  to  Niagara,  her  health  steadily 
declining,  and  passed  the  summer,  fall,  and  winter  at 
Princeton,  the  sea-side,  and  Philadelphia,  cherishing  all  tho 
time  the  hope  that  she  would  be  able  to  resume  her  work 


E.     BUECK1MIUIK3E.  87 

iu  hospitals  very  soon  ;  but  she  only  saw  these  successive 
hopes  end  in  disappointment,  like  receding  phantoms 
before  the  traveller  in  Arabia. 

She  received  no  permanent  benefit  from  anything.  The 
subtle  miasmatic  poison  of  the  Mississippi  swamps  lurked 
in  her  system,  and  was  slowly  bringing  her  to  the  grave. 
Yet  in  the  spring  of  1864,  while  at  Philadelphia,  she  was 
in  frequent  attendance  ut  the  Episcopal  Hospital,  and 
bogged  of  the  surgeons  to  allow  her  to  go  with  them  in 
their  round  of  the  surgical  wards,  that  she  might  become 
more  skilled  and  useful  to  wounded  men. 

A  Christian  friend  and  co-laborer  has  furnished  tho  fol 
lowing  beautiful  account  of  her  labors  hero,  iu  a  letter 
written  after  Miss  Brockinridgo's  death,  and  directed  to 
one  of  her  near  relatives  :  — 

"  Besides  her  desire  to  acquire  experience  in  surgical 
cases,  she  expressed  an  earnest  wish  to  do  what  aho  could 
for  tho  spiritual  welfare  of  tho  patients  in  our  hospital, 
hoping  in  tho  time  spent  there  to  acquire  more  facility  in 
speaking  for  Christ. 

"  She  came  to  the  hospital  early  in  May,  1864,  lovely  in 
form  and  feature,  full  of  animation  and  enthusiasm,  over 
flowing  with  sympathy  and  tenderness.  In  her  presence 
there  was  always  sunshine,  and  her  bright  spirit  tinged  and 
influenced  all  about  her.  Immediately  she  began  to  interest 
herself  in  tho  patients,  spending  an  hour  or  two  in  tho  morn 
ing,  following  tho  surgical  nurao,  who  instructed  her  in  tho 
best  mode  of  bandaging  and  treating  the  various  wouuds. 
She  was  not  satisfied  with  seeing  this,  but  often  washed  and 
dressed  tho  wounds  with  her  own  hands,  saying  to  me, 


88  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAS. 

with  her  bright  smile,  'I  shall  be  able  to  do  this  for  the 
soldiers  when  I  get  back  to  the  army.'  The  patients  could 
not  understand  this,  and  would  often  expostulate,  and  say, 
'  O,  no,  miss  !  that  is  not  for  the  likes  of  you  to  bo  doing  ;  * 
but  she  would  playfully  insist,  and  have  her  way. 

"Her  attention  in  the  wards  was  constant.  "With  her 
little  Testament  in  her  hand,  she  went  from  one  bedside  to 
another,  a  ministering  angel  to  all  there,  cheering  the 
desponding,  encouraging  the  timid  and  doubtful.  While 
I  write  I  have  been  interrupted  by  a  visit  from  an  old 
colored  woman,  who  was  in  the  hospital  last  spring.  J 
asked  her  if  she  remembered  Miss  Breckiiiridge.  She 
looked  surprised  at  the  question,  and  said,  'Yes,  indeed;  I 
never  could  forget  her.  She  was  so  good  to  old  Sidney. 
Why,  she  never  went  to  her  bed  without  looking  in  on  mo 
to  see  how  I  was  getting  on.  O,  I  never  saw  her  like. 
She  used  to  sing  to  me,  too.  Now  she  is  singiug  Jesus' 
praise  in  heaven.  She  was  my  lady  I  ' 

**  At  twilight  it  was  hor  custom  to  sing  hymns  in  the  ward, 
and  long  after  she  had  left  us,  her  sweet  voice  was  spoken 
of  as  a  blessing  lost  by  the  sick  and  suffering.  A  universal 
favorite  with  officers,  nurses,  patients,  and  lady  visitors, 
many  a  tear  was  &hcd  when  the  intelligence  of  her  death 
reached  us." 

In  Juno,  just  as  she  was  expecting  and  preparing  to  go 
out  to  Virginia,  to  resume  her  army  labors,  and  while 
suffering  from  a  severe  attack  of  erysipelas,  there  came  the 
appalling  news  that  her  beloved  brother-in-law,  Colonel 
Porter,  had  been  killed  at  Cold  Harbor.  The  blow  fell 
upon  her  with  overwhelming  force.  There  was  one  wild 


MAROARF.T    E.     BJELEOBJCNTUTXJE  89 

cry  of  agony,  —  ono  hour  of  unmitigated  agony,  —  and  then, 
a  saintly  submission  to  the  will  of  her  heavenly  Father; 

"I  saw  hor  lost,"  says  Mrs.  Hoge,  "in  Philadelphia,  in 
June,  1864.  The  frail  tenement  of  her  soaring  spirit  was 
tottering ;  the  fastenings  were  being  removed  surely,  but 
noiselessly.  Her  great  grief  was  that  she  was  laid  aside 
from  her  work  just,  as  eho  said,  when  she  was  learning  to 
do  it  so  much  better. 

"Her  great  desire  to  recover  was,  that  she  might  labor  till 
war  was  over.  None  of  us  realized  that  she  was  so  near 
the  final  rest.  Her  Christ-like  self-abnogatioii  ami  devotion 
sealed  her  froquoiit  exhortations  to  tho  patients  that  ehe 
visited,  as  long  as  her  health  permitted.  God  grant  tho 
beautiful,  inspiring  lesson  of  her  life  and  death  may  not  bo 
lost  to  us,  hor  fellow-workers  who  survive." 

After  tho  great  blow  of  Colonel  Porter's  death,  sho  for  a 
time  abandoned  her  efforts  to  resume  army  labor,  saying, 
quietly,  "  I  can  do  more  good  at  Niagara,  than  anyAvhoro 
else  just  now." 

After  a  little  rest  in  Baltimore,  sho  accompanied  tho  sad 
family  party  to  Niagara,  and  apparently  boro  tho  journey 
with  comfort  and  safety  ;  but  tho  night  after  her  arrival  at 
the  house  of  her  cousin,  Miss  Porter,  sho  became  alarmingly 
ill,  and  lay  down  never  to  rise  again. 

Tho  inroads  of  disease  soon  reduced  that  intellectual 
vivacity  and  earnestness  which  characterized  her  talk  and 
tho  productions  of  her  pen  while  strength  remained.  Five 
weeks  her  life  hung  trembling  in  the  balance  ;  and  if  un 
wearied  attentions  and  practised  skill  could  havo  averted 
the  stroke  of  death,  so  fair  a  light  had  not  been  quenched. 


90  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

But  that  could  iiot  bo  ;  and,  on  tho  27th  of  July,  tho 
blessed  vision,  of  which  eho  had  often  caught  glimpses, 
became  for  her  a  grand  and  permanent  reality. 

Beside  tho  ashes  of  her  beloved  sister  and  brother,  tho 
vast  Niagara,  roaring  its  sublime  monotone  as  her  dirge, 
sleeps  now  the  fragile  casket  of  this  "  gem  of  purest  ray 
serene  ;  "  and  her  voice,  no  longer  now  uttering  hymns  of 
Christian  cheer  beside  tho  cots  of  dying  soldiers,  chimes 
with  that  chorus  that  John  heard  in  tho  Apocalypse,  saying, 
"Blessing,  and  honor,  and  power,  forever  and  ever,  bo  unto 
Him  that  washed  us,  and  mado  our  robes  white  in  tho  blood 
of  tho  Lamb." 


MRS.    ELIDA   RUMSEY   FOWLE. 

LATE  iu  tho  fall  of  18G1,  an  irregular  and  wretched- 
looking  crowd  of  Union  soldiers  moved  slowly  up  ono 
of  tho  broad  avenues  of  tho  national  capital.  Coining 
from  a  great  number  of  regiments,  without  proper  organi 
zation  or  esprit  cite,  corjjit,  emaciated,  sallow-looking,  and 
ragged,  how  fearfully  had  they  changed  from  that  gay, 
confident,  and  shouting  army,  that  in  July  had  moved  out 
from  Arlington  Heights,  with  "  On  to  Richmond  I  "  for  their 
watchword  I  Yet  they  wero  tho  samo  men.  Only  these 
poor  fellows  had  been  captured  in  tho  disastrous  rout  of 
Dull  Run  ;  had  been  marched,  in  tho  midst  of  tauuta  and 
jeers,  into  tho  rebel  capital  ;  had  been  confined  in  that 
wretched  and  filthy  slaughter  and  tobacco  housu  in  Rich 
mond,  over  which  tho  sign  "  A.  Libby  &  Co."  had  been 
fastened  —  a  namo  now  infamous  iu  military  history. 
During  tho  long,  hot  months  of  August,  September,  and 
October,  tho  poor  follows  had  sweltered  in  that  reeking 
pen,  breathing  foul  air,  eating  miserable  rebel  army  rations, 
and  apparently  forgotten  by  that  great  government  for 
which  they  had  so  freely  fought,  and  which  they  had 
thought  abundantly  ablo  to  reach  and  protect  her  citLsen- 
soldiers  in  all  parts  of  the  world.  Yet,  in  tho  city  that 
once  rang  with  tho  eloquence  of  Patrick  Henry,  a  city  that 

(01) 


92  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

had  given  to  America  such  men  as  Jefferson,  Madison,  and 
John  Marshall,  they  had  been  jeered  at,  insulted,  and  starved 
for  the  crime  of  having  volunteered  to  save  the  national  en 
sign  from  dishonor,  and  the  national  unity  from  destruction. 

They  halted  for  some  time  before  one  of  the  government 
buildings,  these  rough,  unhappy  looking  men.  They  wore 
conscious  of  being  dirty  and  seedy  looking.  They  had 
been  captured  in  a  battle  which  loyal  Americans  wore- 
nowise  proud  to  mention  ;  and  though  they  had  doiio  their 
duty,  and  doiio  it  nobly,  and  borno  their  insults  and  dis 
comforts  with  soldier-like  patience,  yet,  standing  thus 
crestfallen  under  the  towering  dome  of  the  Capitol,  the 
enthusiasm  with  which  they  had  enlisted  was  all  gone  ;  tho 
proud  Americanism  that  had  swelled  in  their  bosoms  was 
dull  and  cold.  In  short,  these  exchanged  prisoners  wero 
demoralized  by  disaster  and  suffering,  and  had  for  a  time 
become  indifferent  to  tho  glories  and  traditions  of  their 
country. 

As  they  stood  or  sat  there  on  tho  ground,  a  ploasant- 
spokeii  gentleman  —  a  clerk  at  one  of  tho  desks  of  tho 

navy  department stepped  among  thorn,  and  said,  "  ISoys, 

how  would  you  like  to  hear  a  little  song  this  morn 
ing?'*  "O,  very  well,  I  guess,"  was  tho  somewhat  languid 
response. 

lie  retired  for  a  moment,  and  returned  with  a  young 
lady,  whose  modest  manner  and  flushed  face  told,  better 
than  any  words,  how  entirely  unaccustomed  she  was  to 
making  any  public  exhibition  of  her  vocal  powers.  Sho 
sang  the  first  stanza  of  "Star-spangled  Banner."  As  tho 
almost  forgotten  strains  of  that  great  national  song  rang 


MI  13.     ELTOA    RUMSEY    FOWLE.  93 

out  on  the  cool  autumnal  air,  every  soldier  started  up  from 
his  attitude  of  languor  and  indifference,  and  came  nearer 
to  the  fascinating  singer. 

They  formed  a  circle  around  her,  and  as  those  on  the 
outside  of  the  ring  complained  that  they  could  not  see  her, 
some  ono  said,  "  Make  a  stand  for  her."  Instantly,  03 
though  a  command  had  been  given,  fifty  knapsacks  were 
unshing,  and  piled  in  a  rude  pyramid  before  her.  She 
stepped  upon  it  flushed,  and  still  more  animated  by  this 
sudden  and  novel  mode  of  expressing  their  high  apprecia 
tion  of  her  effort,  and  sang  the  remaining  stanzas  with,  a 
warmth  and  enthusiasm  that  surprised  her  as  much  as  it 
delighted  the  soldiers.  Tho  effect  upon  the  men  was 
marvellous. 

**Tho  present  scene,  their  future  lot, 

Their  toils,  their  want*,  were  all  forgot} 
Cold  diffidence  and  agu'a  front 
la  the  full  tide  of  aong  weru 


The  pleasant  memories  of  singing  schools  and  sleigh  rides 
were  revived.  They  thought  of  their  sisters,  and  "  the 
girls  they  left  behind  them."  Tho  bloody  aftor*ioon  at  Dull 
Run,  and  the  long,  dreary  days  within  the  loathsome  walls 
of  Old  Libby,  the  suffering,  tho  blood,  and  deaths  were  all 
forgotten.  They  only  remembered  that  tho  glorious  old 
flag  still  floated  from  tho  top  of  tho  "  imperial  dome,"  and 
that  America  was  still  tho  "  land  of  tho  free  and  the  homo 
of  tho  bravo." 

Miss  Rumsey  stepped  clown  from  that  little  rostrum  of 
soldiers'  knapsacks  animated  with  patriotic  enthusiasm,  and 
inspired  with  a  now  and  noble  purpose. 


94  WOMEN   OF    THE    WAR. 

Others  might  idly  regret  that  they  wore  women,  and 
could  not  take  tho  sword  or  bayonet  in  tho  holy  cause. 
Others,  again,  might  follow  tho  camp,  and  minister  iu  per 
son  to  the  wounded  and  dying.  She,  too,  had  a  gift  and  a 
mission.  Thcro  was  good  for  her  to  do  in  soothing,  cheer 
ing,  and  sustaining  tho  soldiers.  Tho  rare  and  beautiful 
gift  of  voice  could  now  bo  consecrated  on  tho  altar  of 
patriotism,  and  tho  songs  which  sho  had  learned  and  prac 
tised  to  please  her  father  and  enhance  the  attractions  of  his 
homo,  might  now  fan  tho  dying  flume  of  patriotism  in  a 
thousand  war-weary  bosoms  ;  they  might  ring  along  tho 
wards  of  the  great  hospitals,  bring  joy  back  to  many  a 
faded  cyo  ;  or,  breathed  low  and  sweet  at  tho  pillow  of  tho 
dying,  they  would  smooth  tho  ruggednesa  of  tho  dark 
valley,  and  awaken  holy  aspirations  for  the 

44  undisturbed  song  of  pure  concent 
Aye  sung  before  the  ttuppiiire-colorcd  throne, 
To  Him  that  bits  thereon." 

From  that  time  on,  till  after  tho  battle  of  Gettysburg, 
and  near  tho  closo  of  tho  war,  Miss  Rumsey  gave  herself 
unremittingly  to  labors  for  tho  good,  tho  comfort,  tho 
social,  moral,  and  mental  well-being  of  tho  soldier.  Sho 
was  as  wholly  devoted  and  absorbed  in  such  voluntary 
labors  as  though  she  had  enlisted,  and  was  in  duty  bound, 
and  under  a  military  oath  of  consecration. 

Her  father's  house  was  opposite  Judiciary  Square,  and 
several  hospitals  were  situated  within  a  short  distance.  Of 
these  sho  became  a  frequent,  and,  in  many  cases,  a  regular 
and  constant  visitor.  And  in  all  the  words  she  visited,  she 


MRS.     ELIDA    RUMSEif    FOWLJE.  95 

never  hesitated  to  afford  tho  soldiers  the  benefit,  of  her 
vocal  powers  whenever  she  was  requested  ;  and  very  often 
sho  volunteered  to  sing  for  those  who  wore  strangers  and 
unacquainted  with  her  gifts,  and  with  her  promptness  to 
comply  with  that  request  "when  made.  On  Sabbath  after 
noons,  and  often  during  tho  week,  sho,  in  company  with 
Air.  Fowlo  and  other  Christian  gentlemen,  visited  various 
hospitals,  and  held  soldiers'  prayer  meetings  in  different 
wards,  singing  tho  most  familiar  and  widely-known  songs 
of  religious  love  and  worship. 

Yet  theao  labors,  important  and  valuable  as  they  wore, 
are  regarded  by  her  and  her  friends  as  secondary  and  inci 
dental  merely,  as  compared  with  tho  great  and  admirable 
enterprise  with  which  her  naino  was  chieily  associated,  and 
for  which  sho  is  held  in  grateful  remembrance  by  tons  of 
thousands  of  soldiers. 

It  was  mainly  by  tho  exertions  of  Mr.  "Fuwlo  and  Miss 
Rumsey  that  tho  Soldiers*  Free-  Library,  on  Judiciary  Square, 
in  Washington,  was  established,  tho  building  erected,  tho 
books  contributed  and  arranged,  and  tho  library  conducted. 
During  some  epochs  in  tho  war,  Washington  city  contained 
as  many  as  twenty  thousand  sick,  wounded,  or  convales 
cent  soldiers.  By  far  tho  greater  portion  of  those  men 
could  read,  and  two  thirds  or  three  fourths  of  them  wero 
in  such  health  as  to  be  ablo  to  move  or  hobble  about 
on  crutches  ;  and  thus,  above  all  things,  they  needed 
some  wholesome  and  moral  amusement  during  convales 
cence. 

A.  library  free  to  all  soldiers,  and  well  supplied  with 
papers,  magazines,  and  all  sorts  of  valuable  and  entertain- 


96  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAR. 

ing-,  yet  moral  boojks,  was  an  institution  of  tho  utility  of 
which  thero  could  po  no  doubt,  and  -whose  power  to  cheer, 
elevate,  and  entertain  could  not  bo  over-estimated.  Miss 
Rurnsey  had  numerous  friends,  in  different  villages  in  tho 
north,  who  were  known  as  soldiers'  friends,  and  who  knew 
her  as  an  efficient  and  constant  hospital  visitor.  She  was 
the  almoner  of  the  various  comforts  and  delicacies  which 
had  been  contributed  by  various  soldiers'  Aid  Societies  in 
Connecticut,  Massachusetts,  and  New  York.  To  thcso 
societies  Miss  Ruinsey  now  applied,  and  very  handsome 
returns  of  books  aud  papers  were  made.  During  tho  year 
18 G 2  these  books  and  magazines  were  distributed  by  Miss 
Rumscy  and  Mr.  Fowlo  in  their  hospital  visits.  In  a  little 
more  than  a  year  they  distributed  two  thousand  three  hun 
dred  and  seventy-one  Bibles  and  Testaments,  one  thousand 
six  hundred  and  seventy-five  books  and  magazines,  forty 
thousand  tracts,  thirty-five  thousand  papers,  twenty-five 
reams  of  writing  paper,  nine  thousand  envelopes  ;  and  of 
"  creature  comforts,"  over  three  thousand  shirts  aud  drawers, 
great  quantities  of  towels,  sheets,  gowns,  slippers,  wines, 
and  jellies. 

During  this  period,  they  conducted  nearly  two  hundred 
singing  meetings  at  hospitals,  or  in  camp.  In  tho  fall  of 
18G2,  the  arrangements  then  in  operation  were  found  incon 
venient  and  inadequate  to  supply  tho  literary  demands  at 
tho  hospital,  and  the  plan  was  conceived  of  raising  a  sum 
sufficient  to  erect  on  some  public  ground  a  building  of 
sufficient  size  and  proper  construction,  to  be  used  as  tho 
Soldiers'  Free  Library. 

To    carry   forward   this  •worthy  enterprise,   Miss   Ruinsey 


Mild.     ELIDA    HUMSEy    JFOWJLE.  07 


and  Mr.  Fowlo  gave  in  Washington,  Boston,  and  various 
other  places,  a  mimher  of  vocal  concerts,  the  proceeds  of 
which  were  to  bo  devoted  to  the  purchase  of  the  neces 
sary  lumber,  and  procuring  labor  for  constructing  the 
library. 

Thcso  concerts  wore  a  success.  Their  principal  feature 
•was  tho  songs  of  Miss  Itumsoy,  and  particularly  those  atir- 
ring  and  patriotic  airs  which  she  sang  to  so  many  of  tho 
soldiers.  "Tho  Star-spangled  Banner,  "as  sung  by  her,  was 
always  received  with  rounds  of  applause,  and  every  mark 
of  tho  warmest  enthusiasm.  "Tho  Young  Recruit"  and 
tho  "  Battle  Cry  of  Freedom  "  wcro  also  favorito  and  effec 
tive.  Another  song,  of  soft  and  pathetic  character,  met 
•with  groat  success,  and  had  a  touching  private  history.  It 
was  called  "Tho  Dying  Soldier  Boy."  In  May,  1862,  soon 
after  tho  bloody  action  at  AVilliamaburg,  Miss  Ruinsey,  in 
her  hospital  visits,  found  a  poor  boj',  only  oeventeeu  yeans 
of  ago,  at  the  Patent  Office  Hospital,  who  had  suiFered  from 
typhoid  fever,  and  this  was  followed  by  consumption.  Day 
by  day  ho  grow  paler  and  weaker,  till  at  last  ho  could  speak 
only  in  whispers.  Yet  tho  dear  little  fellow  was  conscious 
that  he  was  about  to  dio,  and  was  prepared  to  go.  Miss 
Rumsey  was  much  interested  in  his  case,  and  at  twilight 
she  would  often  visit  him,  and  at  his  request  would,  in  a 
low,  soft  voice,  sing  in  tho  oar  of  tho  dying  soldier  boy 
songs  of  Jesus  and  of  heaven  that  ho  loved  to  hear.  Quo 
evening,  just  as  tho  sun  had  set,  sho  found  him  failing 
rapidly;  and,  "I  want  to  hear  a  hymn,"  ho  whispered. 
That  charming  littlo  melody,  called  "  Nearer  Homo,"  was 
his  favorito.  It  begins  thus  :  — 
7 


98  WOMEN    OF    THE    AVAR. 

"  One  sweetly  solemn  thought 

Comes  to  mo  o'er  and  o'er  : 
Nearer  my  parting  hour  am  I 
Than  o'er  I  waa  before." 

A.  group  of  sympathizing  soldiers  gathered  around  his  bed 
side.  Her  voice  choked  uud  faltered,  and  the  tears  stood 
upon  her  cheeks,  as  she  sang  the  first,  second,  and  third 
stanzas.  Before  commencing  tho  fourth  eho  gluuccd  down 
at  the  pallid  face,  and  saw  that  a  fearful  change  had  come 
over  tho  marble  features.  King  Death  had  stolen,  upon 
him  as  lie  listened,  and  stamped  his  royal  signet  on  tho 
countenance  of  the  boy  soldier.  Tho  laat  human,  sounds  ho 
had  hoard  were  tho  plaintive  tones  of  that  sweet  vocalist, 
singing  to  him  of  the  heavenly  home  and  tho  starry  crown. 
A.  poetical  version  of  this  affecting  scene  was  made  by  Mr. 
Fowle,  in.  tho  following  stanzas,  which  Miss  Rumsoy  sang 
to  the  tune  of  "  Annie  Laurie  :" 

TILE    DY1XG    SOLDIER    BOV. 

Sing  mo  a  song  before  I  go, 

Said  the  dear  and  dying  boy ; 
'«  Nearer  Home  "  is  tho  one  I  lovo ; 

O,  sing  of  heavenly  joy. 
Sing,  for  **  I'm  going  home," 

Over  tho  "  cryatal  aca  ;  ** 
I'm  going  to  join  tho  angel  throng, 

And  8  pond  eternity. 

With  faint  and  trembling  voice  wo  aang 

Of  **  laying  my  burden  down  j  " 
We  aong  the  sweet,  sweet  words, 

'*  Wearing  my  atarry  crown ; " 


MRS.    ELII>A    HUMSEY    FOWLE.  99 

And  tlicn  tho  soldier  amiled. 

Aa  hia  spirit  soared  above, 
He  left  "  hi*  cross  of  heavy  grief," 

To  spend  a  life  of  love. 

Brave  |K>V  !    wo  mourn  your  fa  to  ; 

Your  lifo  wmi  nobly  given  ; 
for  from  home,  und  fur  from  friends, 

You  gave  up  earth  for  heaven. 
No  atoiiu  may  mark  the  ctpot 

Whero  our  Soldier  Boy  ia  laid, 
But  in  our  hearts  he  haa  a  place, 

A  spot  in  memory  mado. 

Our  country  mourns  fur  heroes  brave, 

Win/  vc  died  to  save  our  land. 
Our  heart*,  how  oft  they  blued 

For  many  a  noblu  band  I 
And  at  their  liaJ lowed  graves* 

Wo  dtt  shall  pilgrims  be  j 
We'll  bhcd  a  tear  for  thoao  who'vo  died 

For  RIGUT  and  LIDKUTY  ! 

Another  favorite  piece  of  Miaa  Ramsey,  which  she  gave  in 
nearly  all  the  concerts,  was  composed  by  tho  saino  gentle 
man,  at  tho  timo  when  tho  first  robel  flags  which  had  bcoii 
captured  at  Fort  Donelson  and  Koanoko  Island  were  exhib 
ited  at  tho  Capitol  in  Washington,  on  the  anniversary  of  the 
birth  of  tho  Father  of  his  Country,  February  22,  18C2. 
Miss  Rumsey  usually  sang  it  to  tho  air  of  "  Bunker  Hill." 

THE    REBEL    FLAGS. 

Sadly  wo  gazed  upon  the  flags 

Torn  from  our  brothers'  hands, 
And  shed  a  tear  for  those  once  loved, 

Now  joined  to  traitor  bands. 


10O  WOALEX    OF    TMS    WAJR. 

They've  put  our  flag  beneath  their  (bet, 

They've  trailed  it  in  the  dust, 
And  to  the  breeze  their  flag  unfurled, 

And  placed  in  it  their  trust. 

Mark  what  a  treacherous  deed  it  was, 

From  the  good  old  flag  to  turn ; 
With  ua  they  dwelt  beneath  its  folds, 

And  now  its  dtors  they  spurn. 
They've  left  the  flag  of  Washington, 

The  flag  our  fivthcra  gave  ; 
A  richer  boon  was  never  given, 

Or  prouder  flag  to  wave  I 

But  when  the  traitors  raised  their  flag, 

And  marshalled  for  the  fight, 
Six  hundred  thousand  freemen  roso 

To  battle  for  the  right. 
Then  to  our  God  the  prayer  went  up, 

*'  Protect  our  noble  bond;  " 
God  blessed  our  cause  ;  our  flag  now  waves 

Within  the  traitors'  land. 

Then  down,  down  with  tho  rebel  flags ; 

Tr«od  them,  bunoath  your  feet; 
And  gayly  to  the  breeze  unfurl 

The  flag  we  love  to  greet. 
Wave  on,  ye  glorious  "  STARS  JLSTD  STRIPES!  ** 

And  still  our  song  sliall  be  — 
.Long  live,  long  live  the  good  old  flag; 

Three  cheer*,  three  cheer*  for  TUEB. 

Two  of  these  concerts  realized  tho  sum  of  three  hundred 
dollars,  and  this  AVUS  immediately  expended  in  tho  pur 
chase  of  lumber  for  tho  building  of  tho  Soldiers'  Free 
Library.  Upon  the  opening  of  tho  next  session  of  Con 
gress,  in  December,  a  joint  resolution  passed  both  Douses, 


MRS.     ELIDA    RUMSEY    FOWXE.  101 

appropriating  the  ground  necessary  for  tho  erection  of  tho 
building.  Early  in,  January  the  following  note  was  handed 
to  Miss  Rumsoy. 

SKNATE    CIIAMUKH,    January   7,    18G3. 

Miss  ELFDA  B.    RmiSEY,  423  FIFTH  STREET. 

Madam  :  Tho  joint  resolution  of  tho  Mouse  of  Repre 
sentatives  authorizing  the  Secretary  of  tho  Interior  to  grant 
permission  to  erect  a  building  011  Judiciary  Square  for  tho 
purpose  of  a  library  for  tho  uao  of  tho  soldiers,  &c.,  has 
just  passed  the  Senate. 

Very  respectfully,  SOLOMON  FOOTE. 

Other  concerts  were  now  given,  and  the  proceeds  appro 
priated  to  tho  same  purpose,  so  that  within  a  few  weeks, 
iu  tho  early  part  of  tho  year  1863,  Mr.  Fowlo  aiid  Miss 
Rumsey  had  the  gratification  of  seeing  their  most  laudable 
and  self-sacrificing  efforts  crowned  with  success.  A  build 
ing  sixty-five  feet  long,  and  twenty-four  feet  wide,  was 
erected,  containing  a  library-room,  a  room  for  hospital 
stores,  aud  a  reading-room,  which,  with  appropriate  core- 
monies,  was  dedicated  to  tho  free  use  of  tho  soldiers.  After 
tho  building  was  completed  and  dedicated,  a  circular  was 
issued  to  tho  friends  of  soldiers  everywhere,  requesting 
contributions  of  magazines,  pictorial  papers,  and  books. 

The  results  of  this  appeal,  and  tho  proceeds  of  several 
concerts  given  in  Boston  and  vicinity,  wore  so  handsome 
in  pecuniary  returns  and  in  books,  that  soon  after  the 
library  opened  it  contained  twenty-five  hundred  volumes. 
This  number  was  soon  swelled  to  three  thousand,  and  be 
fore  the  war  closed  there  were  six  thousand  volumes  of 
good  reading  matter  on  tho  shelves  of  tho  institution.  For 


102  WOME^    OF    TIIE    WAR. 


some  time  Miss  Rumsey  acted  as  librarian.  But  afterwards 
convalescents,  not  able  to  return  to  lino  duty,  were  succes 
sively  detailed  for  this  purpose.  One  who  acted  for  some 
time  ill  this  capacity  was  a  loyal  Virginian  from  the  valley 
of  the  Sheiiaiidoah. 

The  following  letter  from  him  conveys  the  sentiments 
of  at  least  one  soldier  on  the  value  of  the  Soldiers'  Frco 
Library  :  — 

BEUKELKY   COUNTY,   VA.,  October  20,    18G4. 

To  MR.   AND  MRS.   JOLLN   A.   FOWLE. 

Kind  and  highly-esteemed  Friends  :  Though  two,  yet  I 
will  address  you  as  one,  for  you  are  one  in  every  good  work, 
and  in  devotion  to  the  interests  of  the  soldier. 

How  often  have  I  blessed  you  in  my  heart  for  origi 
nating  and  getting  up  the  Soldiers'  Frco  Library  !  How 
I  enjoyed  the  meetings  there  !  I  fear  3'ou  overrate  my 
services  as  librarian,  and  give  ine  more  credit  than  I 
deserve  ;  for  I  only  did  what  was  my  duty  to  do.  My 
most  pleasant  hours  in  AVashington  were  spent  in  the 
library,  and  if  I  should  ever  visit  it  again,  it  will  bo  the 
most  attractive  place  to  me  in  the  capital. 

Matters  are  very  quiet  in.  the  valley  now,  and  have  been 
sinco  the  late  fight.  I  tell  you,  Sheridan  gave  the  robs 
Hail,  Columbia,  and  Yankee  Doodle  combined  oil  the  19th 
of  this  month,  and  I  do  not  think  their  army  will  trouble 
ua  again  this  winter. 

For  your  kind  wishes,  so  happily  expressed,  please 
accept  my  sincere  thanks.  May  Heaven  bless  and  reword 
you,  both  in  t.hin  life  and  that  which  is  to  come,  for  your 
kindness  and  labors  of  lovo  in  behalf  of  our  soldiers. 

Your  sincere  Friend. 


MRS.     ELI  DA    RUM8EY    FOWLE.  103 

During  all  the  time  that  Miss  Rumscy  was  laboring  thus 
persistently  and  nobly  to  found  the  library,  the  visits  to 
hospitals  and  camps,  and  the  Sabbath  exercises  iu  the 
Representatives'  Hall,  and  among  tho  soldiers,  were  by  no 
means  discontinued. 

In  that  dark  and  calamitous  campaign  of  August  and 
September,  1862,  she  at  0110  timo  went  out  into  tho  pri 
mary  hospitals,  and  labored  among  tho  wounded  and  dying 
of  a  disastrous  battle-field.  It  was  just  after  the  second 
battle  of  Bull  Run,  fought  August  3O,  1862.  Mr.  Fowlo 
obtained  mi  ambulance,  and  Miss  Rumscy  loaded  it  with 
some  four  hundred  and  fifty  loaves  of  bread,  moat,  spirits 
of  all  kinds,  bandages,  lint,  shirts,  and  other  descriptions 
of  stores.  Leaving  Washington  late  on  Saturday  after 
noon,  they  drove  out  by  way  of  Bailey's  Cross-Roads,  and 
reached  Centrovillo  very  early  on  Sunday  morning. 

They  halted  at  a  little  building  near  tho  road,  which  was 
already  nearly  full  of  tho  wounded.  As  others  arrived,  or 
were  brought  in,  they  were  laid  oil  thoso  first  brought,  care 
being  taken,  however,  to  lay  a  wounded  arm  upon  a  sound 
leg,  and  a  mutilated  leg  upon  a  body  where  its  weight 
would  not  give  pain.  Tho  stacks  of  wounded  were  thus 
laid  up  on  all  sides  of  tho  little  room,  and  tho  blood  that 
flowed  from  so  many  open  veins  ran  down  and  stood  in  a 
deep  crimson  pool  all  over  the  middle  of  tho  room.  For 
some  timo  Miss  Rumsey  remained  in  tho  ambulance,  giving 
out  bread  to  the  famishing  boys,  who  crowded  around  as 
soon  as  it  was  known  there  was  anything  to  bo  eaten  there. 
Most  of  tncm  had  eaten  nothing  for  twenty-four  hours,  and 
were  hopelessly  separated  from  their  supply  trains.  After 


104  .WOMEN    OF    TIIE    WAR. 

she  had  given  out  most  of  the  bread  and  other  edibles ,  sho 
stepped,  down  from  the  ambulance,  and  went  inside,  to  soo 
if  she  could  be  of  use  to  the  sufferers  there. 

Certainly  there  was  enough  to  bo  done,  and  sho  felt  that 
the  only  way  to  keep  from  being  overcome  by  such  an  accu 
mulation  of  horrors  was  to  plunge  at  once  into  active  use 
fulness.  She  offered  to  dress  the  arm  of  the  first  man  sho 
saw.  lie  had  received  a  ball  directly  through  it  the  day 
before,  and  a  field  surgeon  had  dressed  it,  and  wrapped  it 
so  tightly  that  it  was  now  paining  him  terribly.  Miss  Rurn- 
sey  knelt  beside  him,  and  slowly  undid  the  bandage.  The 
flesh  was  entirely  colorless,  and  tho  pain  was  relieved  as 
the  pressure  was  removed.  Sho  then  brought  some  water 
and  a  sponge,  and  begun  to  wash  tho  wound. 

The  contact  of  water  and  tho  gentle  pressure  of  the 
sponge  soon  removed  tho  dried  and  coagulated  blood,  and 
tho  wound  commenced  to  bleed  afresh.  Soon  the  blood 
began  to  flow  in  little  spouts,  and  as  there  was  no  surgeon 
present,  sho  became  alarmed.  Some  of  the  crimson  stream 
fell  upon  her  dress,  and  the  floor  was  everywhere  red.  It 
was  a  hot  summer  morning,  and  sho  had  been  travelling  all 
night.  Tho  room,  too,  was  crowded,  and  tho  smell  of 
human  blood  was  strong.  All  these,  operating  together, 
-were  too  much  for  Miss  Rumsey.  All  at  once  she  found 
her  consciousness  failing  her,  and  in  a  moment  sho  WOQ  as 
helpless  as  any  of  the  wounded  that  lay  upon  tho  floor. 
She  was  taken  out  to  tho  ambulance,  and  tho  usual  restora 
tives  of  cold  water  and  fresh  air  applied.  With  the  return 
of  consciousness  she  began  to  chido  herself —  "  To  think 
that  I  have  come  all  the  way  from  Washington  to  bind  up 


MBS.     ELIIXV     ItUiLSEV    FOWZJE.  105 

tho  wouuda  of  thcso  soldtcra,  ami  hero  tho  first  caao  of  run 
ning  blood  I  6oo  I  havo  to  bccomo  faint  and  helpless  I  I 
won't  faint.  I  will  go  back,  and  work  among  thoao  poor 
fellows  ;  that's  what  I  caiuo  hero  for,  and  I'm  determined  to 
accomplish  something."  So  in  a  few  moments  she  was  back 
again  among  tho  bleeding  men,  a  little  paler  than  before, 
but  resolute.  She  wont  011  binding  up  wounds,  bathing 
them  with  water,  cooling  parched  lips,  and  giving  stimu 
lants  to  thoso  who  had  lost  much  blood,  laboring  thus  all 
day  till  nearly  nightfall.  Two  or  three  other  parties,  that 
had  como  out  from  ^Washington  on  similar  errands  of  mercy, 
seeing  her  thus  efficient  and  useful,  left  their  hospital  sup- 
lilies  with  her,  and  thus  she  was  kept  busy  throughout  tho 
day.  Tho  good  things  were  given  out  to  privates  and 
officers  without  discrimination,  tho  only  requirement  being 
that  they  needed  something.  Thoir  little  hospital  would 
hold  about  fifty,  and  as  fast  as  their  wounds  were  dressed 
they  wero  sont  off  in  ambulances  to  Washington.  Only 
two  soldiers  died  under  their  care  :  one,  whoso  name  and 
regiment  were  unknown,  wandered  in  from  tho  battle-field, 
fell  down  speechless  from  sheer  exhaustion,  and  died  in  a 
few  moments.  His  body  was  searched  in  vain  for  papers 
that  might  disclose  his  name  and  regiment,  but  no  clow  was 
ever  obtained.  A  grave  was  dug  beside  tho  little  hospital 
on  Sunday  evening,  his  body  was  decently  interred,  and 
tho  grave  marked  with  that  saddest  of  all  inscriptions, 
"  UXJCNOWN." 

Tho  other  who  died  was  a  non-commissioned  officer  in  a 
New  York  regiment.  Ho  had  been  struck  in  the  breast, 
and  the  severe  concussion  produced  inward  blooding,  of 


106  WOMEN    OF   TIIE    WAR. 

which  he  died,  unable  to  speak  ;  but  a  le'tter  from  homo 
was  found  in  his  pocket,  and  proved  that  ho  was  a  dutiful 
and  good  son.  A.  small  sum  of  money  was  found  with  the 
letter,  of  which  Miss  Rumsey  took  charge  ;  and  immediately 
upon  reaching  Washington  she  wrote  a  full  and  feeling 
account  to  his  distant  and  stranger  friends.  She  had  the 
gratification  of  receiving  a  prompt  and  grateful  answer  from 
his  father,  and  her  first  letter  was  published  in  connection 
with  a  funeral  sermon  preached  at  Springwater,  N.  Y., 
in  commemoration  of  the  virtues  of  Corporal  James  F. 
Suyder. 

A  few  months  later,  as  she  was  nursing  in  one  of  the 
hospitals  on  Judiciary  Square,  and  near  her  homo  as  well 
as  the  Soldiers'  Free  Library,  in  which  she  took  so  great 
and  constant  interest,  she  found  one  of  the  patients  in  a 
very  dangerous  state.  Ho  had  been  wounded  at  Chancel- 
lorsviilo,  and  hopes  wore  entertained  that  ho  would  recover. 
But  the  injury  was  close  to  a  main  artery,  and  the  suppura 
tion  extended  so  as  to  involve  its  tissues,  and  ho  suddenly 
commenced  to  sink  from  internal  bleeding. 

When  he  found  his  strength  failing,  ho  desired  to  have  the 
Bible  read  and  prayer  offered  at  his  bedside.  Then  turning 
to  Mrs.  Fowlo,  ho  said  there  was  one  thing  more  that  ho 
would  like  to  say  before  ho  died.  "  Will  you,  kind  lady, 

write  to  Miss  ,  to  whom  I  have  been  engaged  for  the 

last  two  years,  and  break  to  her  the  sad  news  ?  Tell  her 
all  I  have  said ;  send  her  my  pocket  memorandum,  my 
gold  pen,  and  the  twelve  dollars  in  the  book."  A.  few 
momenta  after,  he  added,  in  a  clear  but  faint  voice,  "Tell 
Deming,"  —  a  wounded  comrade  from  the  same  town, — 


MRS.     EL.IDA    K.UMSEY    FOWLE.  107 

• 

"  IT  he  ever  gets  \tell,  to  toll  my  friends  that  I  was  wounded 
bravely  fighting  for  my  country,  and  die  hajypy." 

The  sacred  duty  of  carrying  out  the  last  wish  of  this 
dying  patriot  was  carefully  performed. 

This  was  but  ono  of  many  similar  instances,  and  a  great 
number  of  letters  have  been  received  by  her  from  tho 
friends  of  deceased  soldiers,  assuring  her  of  their  oatcem 
and  gratitude,  in  language  like  the  following  :  "  My  Biblo 
teaches  there  is  a  reward  in  store  for  you,  aside  from  tho 
present  satisfaction  of  having  done  what  you  could  to 
relieve  the  sufferings  of  a  fellow-mortal,  for  Christ  said, 
'  Inasmuch  as  yc  havo  done  it  unto  one  of  tho  least  of  these 
my  brethren,  yc  have  done  it  unto  me.'  " 

In  tho  spring  of  1863,  after  tho  completion  and  opening 
of  the  Soldiers'  Free  Library,  and  as  there  was  much  less 
demand  for  constant  hospital  labor,  Miss  Rumsey  was 
united  for  life  with  tho  gentleman  whoso  name  has  several 
times  appeared  on  these  pages,  and  who  labored  constantly 
and  most  effectively  with  Miss  Kumsey  for  tho  physical  and 
moral  well-being  of  tho  soldier. 

JVs  Mr.  Fowle  and  Miss  Rumsey  hud  acquired  almost  a 
national  reputation  by  their  admirable  and  extensive  labors, 
and  as  they  had  long  been  connected  with  tho  Capitol  choir, 
their  marriage  was  celebrated  in  tho  House  of  Representa 
tives,  and  by  their  old  and  iutimato  friend  and  associate  in 
every  good  work,  Chaplain  Quint. 

Though  retaining  a  constant  and  lively  interest  in  the 
Union  and  its  defenders,  tho  duties  and  enjoyments  of  Mrs. 
Fpwle,  sinco  the  close  of  the  war,  and  for  a  year  previous, 
have  been  tho  blessed  and  womanly  enjoyments  of  a  homo 


108  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAB. 

made   sacred    by   love  and    enriched    by  the  sweetest   fire 
side  melodies. 

In  the  midst  of  these  pleasures,  the  richest  memories 
of  her  life  are  of  those  active  and  crowded  months  when, 
the  national  fortunes  were  lowest,  and  she  was  laboring 
with  hands  and  feet,  with  needle,  pen,  and  voice,  to  relieve, 
to  sustain,  to  cheer,  and  to  soothe  the  weary,  destitute,  or 
dying  Union,  soldier. 


BRIDGET    DIVERS. 

r  ITTLB  Heroines  -of  tho  Great  War  for  tho  Union,  like  its 
JL  heroes,  havo  coxno  from  every  class  of  society,  and 
represent  every  grade  in  our  social  scale.  Ladies  of  tho 
highest  refinement  and  social  polish  have  left  homes  of 
luxury,  and  devoted  themselves,  week  after  week,  and 
month  after  month,  to  daily  labor  and  nightly  vigils  in  tho 
wards  of  great  hospitals. 

No  loss  praiseworthy  and  admirable  havo  been  tho  devo 
tion  and  self-sacrifice  of  those  who  were  born  in  less  favored 
circles,  and  brought  with  them  to  tho  work,  if  not  tho 
elegance  of  tho  boudoir,  tho  hearty  good  will,  tho  vigorous 
sense,  and  tho  unwearied  industry  of  tho  laboring  class. 

If  tho  antecedents  and  manners  of  Bridget  Divcra,  whom 
Sheridan's  men  commonly  knew  as  "Irish  I3iddy,"  were  not 
those  of  what  tho  world  calls  "a  lady,"  she  proved  herself 
possessed  of  tho  heart  of  a  true,  bravo,  loyal,  and  uiiacliish 
woman,  who  devoted  herself,  from  tho  beginning  to  tho  end 
of  tho  war,  to  tho  good  of  tho  soldier,  with  such  uiicalcu- 
lating  generosity,  that  she  deserves  and  enjoys  tho  grateful 
remembrance  and  tho  unfeigned  respect  of  every  patriot 
who  saw  anything  of  her  admirable  labor. 

In  the  commencement  of  tho  war,  she  went  out  with 
tho  First  Michigan  cavalry,  and  through  tho  war  continued 

(109) 


110  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

to  act  with.  and.  for  that  organization.  13 ut  as  sho  became 
familiar  -with  the  army,  and  well  known  in  it,  sho  extended 
her  labors  so  as  to  reach  the  wants  of  the  brigade,  and  even 
the  division  to  which  the  First  Michigan  belonged. 

She  knew  every  man  in  the  regiment,  and  could  apeak  of 
liia  character,  his  wants,  his  sufferings,  and  the  facts  of  his 
military  record.  Her  care  and  kindness  extended  to  tho 
moral  and  religious  wants,  as  well  as  the  health,  of  tho  men 
of  her  regiment,  as  sho  always  called  it.  In  tho  absence 
of  tho  chaplain  sho  came  to  tho  Christian  Commission  for 
books  and  papers  for  tho  men,  saying  that  sho  was  tho 
acting  chaplain,  and  appearing  to  take  a  very  deep  interest 
in  the  moral  and  religious  well-being  of  them  all. 

It  made  no  difference  to  her  in  what  capacity  sho  acted, 
or  what  sho  did,  so  bo  it  was  necessary  for  tho  good  of 
the  men. 

Acting  now  as  vivandi^re  or  daughter  of  tho  regiment, 
now  as  nurse,  hospital  steward,  ward  master,  and  some 
times  as  surgeon,  sho  was  invaluable  in  each  capacity. 
From  her  long  experience  with  wounds  and  disease,  her 
judgment  came  to  bo  excellent,  and  her  practical  skill  equal 
often  to  that  of  a  physician.  In  drawing  various  supplies 
from  tho  Sanitary  and  Christian  Commission  sho  showed 
good  judgment,  and  knew  just  -what  tho  men  really 
wanted,  never  encouraging  waste  or  recklesg.iiess  in 
distribution,  while  sho  was  really  very  kind  and  tender 
hearted. 

Her  wliolo  soul  was  in  tho  work  of  aiding  and  sustaining 
the  soldier.  No  day  was  too  stormy  or  too  cold  to  check 
her  in  an  errand  of  mercy.  She  overcame  all  obstacles, 


BRIDGET    DIVERS .  Ill 

and  battled  successfully  with  all  sorts  of  rebuffs  and  dis 
couragements  in  tho  prosecution  of  hor  duties. 

When  tho  Christian  Commission  received  ksttors  from 
home,  which  was  very  frequently  tho  case,  inquiring  for  a 
soldier,  if  tho  man  was  bolioved  to  bo  oven  in  tho  division 
to  which  she  was  attached,  Bridget  was  tho  first  person  to 
whom  application  was  made.  If  it  was  in  "  her  brigade," 
as  she  called  it,  she  could  tell  all  about  him.  If  in  tho 
division,  she  was  more  likoly  to  know  than  the  commanding 
officer  or  tho  adjutant,  and  could  generally  give  all  tho 
desired  information.  Her  memory  of  names  and  places 
was  truly  wonderful. 

When  tho  brigade  was  in  active  service  sho  was  with  it 
in  tho  field,  and  shared  all  its  dangers.  Sho  was  a  fearless 
and  skilful  rider,  and  as  bravo  as  tho  bravest  under  fire. 

In  actual  battlo  sho  had  two  or  three  horses  killed 
under  her,  and  in  tho  course  of  tho  Avar  lost  eight  or  ton  in 
various  ways. 

In  tho  battlo  of  Cedar  Creek  sho  found  herself  at  one 
time  cut  o(F  and  surrounded  by  tho  enemy,  but  managed, 
by  an  adroit  movement,  to  escape  capture. 

As  to  making  something  out  of  the  war,  sho  was  utterly 
indhTcreiit  to  that.  At  0110  timo  a  purso  of  somo  three  hun 
dred  dollars  was  mudo  up  and  presented  to  her  ;  but  in  a 
few  weeks  tho  most  of  it  was  gono,  having  been  expended 
in  various  purchases  for  tho  comfort  of  her  boys.  Any 
money  given  to  her  was  sure  to  find  its  way  back  again 
into  tho  regiment,  as  sho  would  expend  it  for  tho  benefit 
of  somo  sick,  or  wounded,  or  unfortunate  man,  or  for  tho 
purchase  of  hospital  supplies. 


112  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

Her  personal  appearance  is  not  prepossessing  or  attractive. 
Sleeping  on  the  ground  like  a  soldier,  and  enduring  hard 
ships  like  the  rest,  her  face  has  become  browned  by  expo 
sure,  and  her  figure  grown  athletic  by  constant  exercise  and 
life  in  the  open  air.  But  the  heart  that  beats  under  her 
plain  cassock  is  as  full  of  womanly  tenderness  as  that  of  any 
princess  in  purple  velvet ;  and,  though  her  hand  is  strong 
uncl  brou'ii,  it  is  as  ready  to  do  an  act  of  generous  kindness 
as  that  of  [Florence  Nightingale  herself. 

Not  even  with  the  close  of  the  war  did  her  self-imposed 
duties  end.  She  has  become  attached  to  the  free  and  spir 
ited  life  of  the  cavalry  soldier,  and  preferring  camp  life,  with 
its  hardships  and  adventures,  to  the  comfort  and  tnmoncss 
of  villages,  she  is  now  with  the  detachment  that  has 
crossed  tho  great  plains  and  the  Rocky  Mountains  for  In 
dian  service  on  the  distant  western  frontier. 


MRS.    ISABELLA    FOGG. 

WIIKN"  tho  boom,  of  tho  great  guns  in  Charleston 
harbor,  in  tho  spring  of  18G1,  wcut  rolling  across 
tho  continent,  their  echo  penetrated,  to  tho  border  town,  of 
Calais,  in  Muino,  oil  tho  extreme  eastern  verge  of  tho  Union, 
and  there  summoned  men  from  their  ships,  and  lumber  mills, 
and  farms,  to  tho  lieroie  duty  of  sustaining  tho  govern 
ment,  threatened  by  half  a  continent  in  arms  against  it. 

Nor  did  that  summons  reach  tho  oars  of  men  only.  Tho 
lady  whoso  iiauio  id  written  abovo  felt  that  aho  was  called, 
also,  to  go  out,  to  leuvo  the  quiet  and  seduction  of  her 
home,  and  do  all  that  a  woman  may  do  to  ouatuiu  tho 
hands  and  tho  hearts  of  thoso  who  had  tho  great  battlo  of 
freedom  to  tight. 

In  tho  spring  of  18(51  the  family  duties  by  which  sho 
was  bound  seemed  to  make  it  impracticable  for  her  to  leavo 
at  oiico.  But  in  July,  Bull  Run,  with  its  disastrous  issue,, 
rail  liko  a  mingled  cry  of  agony  and  of  shame  over  tho 
laud,  and  tho  demand  of  April  was  repeated  in  a  tono 
sterner  and  moro  imperative  than  beforo. 

About  this  tinio  changes  occurred  in  tho  family  of  Airs. 
Fogg,  which  scomod  to  rolcaso  her  from,  pressing  obliga 
tions  to  remain  at  homo  ;  and  her  schoolboy  son,  liko  ton 
thousand  others  in  thoso  arousing  times,  followed  tho 

8 


114  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

twofold  imp  also  of  loyalty  and  youthful  enthusiasm,  and 
exchanged  the  playground  for  tho  camp,  and  his  grammar 
for  Scott's  Tactics. 

When  her  sou  enlisted,  Mrs.  Fogg  thought  her  duty  no 
longer  obscure,  and  offered  her  services,  without  compensa 
tion,  to  tho  governor  and  surgeon-general  of  tho  state,  and 
under  tficir  direction  spent  several  weeks  in  preparing  aud 
collecting  s-mitary  and  hospital  stores. 

Early  in  the  fall  of  18G1  she  went  out  with  one  of  tho 
Maine  regiments,  and  proceeded  with  it  to  Annapolis, 
whore  she  remained  several  months,  acting  at  first  as  tho 
nurse  of  those  who  fell  sick  in  tho  regiment,  and  afterwards 
was  connected  with  the  General  Hospital.  When  tho 
coast  expedition,  under  General  Sherman,  was  organized, 
she  was  of  course  very  desirous  of  going  with  tho  regiment. 
But  this  was  not  found  practicable.  A  duty  less  romantic, 
but  equally  important,  was  now  brought  home  to  her,  and 
right  nobly  did  she  discharge  it.  Tho  spotted  fever 
appeared  in  the  post  hospital,  and  as  one  or  more  fell 
victims  to  it  daily,  much  alarm  existed,  and  it  was  diffi 
cult  to  obtain  nurses  for  tho  sufferers.  In  this  exigency 
Mrs.  Fogg  and  another  lady  volunteered  their  services,  and 
for  week  after  week,  all  day,  aud  often  for  a  considerable 
part  of  tho  night,  were  on  duty  in  tho  fever  ward,  constant 
in  their  devotion  to  tho  patients,  and  indifferent  to  tho 
danger  of  infection. 

This  duty  lasted  till  tho  spring  of  1862,  when  those  cam 
paigns  against  tho  enemy  were  inaugurated  and  carried  to 
a  consummation  by  which  the  first  serious  and  eventually 
fatal  blows  wore  inflicted  on  the  defiant  monster  of  Treason. 


MRS.     ISABEL!^*.    FOCIO.  115 

Early  in  May  came  the  first  bloodshed  on  the  Peninsula. 
The  mutilated  heroes  of  Williainsburg  were  brought  in  — 
ono  great,  bloody  cargo  of  suffering  humanity — to  tho 
northern  hospitals,  on  tho  Elm  City ;  and  a  shudder  of 
horror  and  agony  ran  over  tho  nation.  Wo  began  to  seo 
the  fearful  price  by  which  tho  Union  was  to  bo  redeemed. 
Mrs.  Eogg  was  now  more  anxious  than  over  to  bo  constantly 
and  actively  employed  in  labors  to  nasuagG  sufferings 
so  immense  as  were  likely  to  bo  tho  price  of  captured 
Richmond.  Hastening  to  Washington,  she  placed  herself 
under  the  direction  of  tho  Sanitary  Commission,  and  when 
tho  Elm  City  returned  she  went,  in  company  with  several 
other  ladies,  and  somo  gentlemen  of  tho  Christian  and 
Sanitary  Commissions,  to  labor  on  tho  hospital  transports 
in  tho  York  and  James  Rivers.  These  transport  labors  arc 
described  elsewhere,  in  tho  rehearsal  of  tho  labors  and  sac 
rifices  of  Miss  Bradley,  Miss  Ethridgo,  Mrs.  Harris,  and 
Miss  Hall. 

On  the  last  day  of  May  came  tho  bloody  field  of  Fair 
Oaks,  af^er  which  thero  was  a  broad  and  unbroken  stream 
of  tho  wounded  and  tho  sick  pouring  steadily  to  tho 
rear  from  tho  active  and  warlike  front,  along  tho  Chicka- 
homiiiy  and  around  Richmond.  Tho  charge  of  these 
removals  was  in  tho  hands  of  Dr.  Swinburne,  who, 
observing  tlio  skill  and  activity  of  Mrs.  Ko«r«r  in  attend 
ing  those  who  were  brought  on  the  cars  to-  the  White 
House,  asked  her  if  sho  would  be  willing  to  go  up  to  tho 
front  and  labor.  Tho  application  was  made  to  Mrs.  l<\>gg 
through  Mr.  Ivnapp,  of  tho  Sanitary  Commission,  and  her 
prompt  reply  was,  **  Mr.  KIiiupp,  that  is  just  where  I  would 
liko  to  go," 


1  1 G  WOMEN     OP    TH.E     W,VR. 

A  branch  of  tho  Sanitary  Commission,  was  accordingly 
established  at  Savage  Station,  two  miles  from  tho  front  ; 
and,  during  tho  long,  hot  days  of  Juno,  Mrs.  Fogg"  was 
hero  laboring  throughout  tho  day,  protecting  herself  from 
sunstroke  by  a  wet  towel,  worn  in  her  hat,  distributing 
cooling  drinks,  food,  and  stimulants  to  tho  sick,  as  they 
arrived  in  long  trains  from  Fair  Oaks,  and  as  they  wcro 
collected  from  tho  different  parts  of  the  great  army.  Juat 
hoforo  the  campaign  culminated  ii\  tho  eovmv  dsiya'  fight,  hor 
KIJII  t!!im(j  clou  n  It)  fliivit^ru  ^tiiticm,  mid  <rnvu  IL  mtivlnt* 
iirrouni.  of  ihu  aiiJTrrtnirjf  of  his  coiiinidus  nL  Hit!  oxirumu 
front*  ttliuiu  lio  >vao  oialiumril*  Tho  m:xt  iiiiiniinir  found 
ily=?i  J^vais  *1X  ^^  **»«!. ^I^.uco,  I<,^JV4  ^y»(l»  e\ii/i/I**a  A/*-  ijiu 
ml^iiifr  ht_»i»  \viiy  iln*mifrli  ilia  Chiukiihoininy  Swamp, 
whuru  ICuyua  IVIIM  IHIMLUI!.  cm  ihu  oxiruuiu  lufL,  uiul  wiliiiii 

of  tho  opirca  of  tlio  rebel  i  a[)ital. 
On  reaching  tho  camp  of  tho  Sixth  Maine,  which  was  in 
Hancock's  brigade  of  Smith's  division,  she  found  from  sixty 
to  seventy  bravo  fellows,  who,  though  sick,  had  refused  to 
be  sent  to  tho  brigade  hospital,  partly  from  tho  soldier's  dis 
like  of  all  hospitals  as  long  as  ho  can  stand,  but  main^- 
because  they  hoped  to  be  well  enough  to  march  through  tho 
streets  of  Kichmond,  which  they  confidently  expected  that 
groat  army,  then  having  nearly  ono  hundred  and  twenty 
thousand  men  tit  for  duty,  would  enter  in  a  few  days. 

Here,  protected  from  tlio  burning  midsummer  sun  and 
the  malarious  night  air  by  nothing  better  than  little  shelter 
and  "dog"  tents,  they  wcro  languishing  with  typhoid  fever 
and  chronic  diarrhoea;  their  bed  tho  earth,  their  faro  salt 
pork  and  "hard-tack."  The  medical  officers  of  tho  regiment 


MI  13.     ISABELLA    FOCH3.  117 

•wcro  neither  unskilled,  nor  inattentive.  Her  labors  for  that 
day  were  wholly  for  these  bravo  sufferers,  dispensing  the 
stores  which  she  had  brought,  cooking1  palatable  food, 
quenching  the  fever  thirst,  cheering  tho  winking  heart  with 
kind  and  sympathetic  words.  Their  smiling  or  tearful 
gratitude  was  a  reward  and  a  stimulus  which  dispelled 
fatigue,  and  made  her  heedless  of  tho  occasional  shot  or 
shell  that  went  screaming  over  tho  liiica. 

"Returning    in    tho    evening   to    tho  atiitiotii    oho    consulted 
ivilii  thu  u£t/nla  «/f  tlio  {Jiii-Jotitm  iiuvl  fcrn 


AS  al\A  had  juat  hunii  nttniuliiig.  Kilt  tho  day  tnl- 
nil  Kiii'li  liliilIM  it  urn  rut  slliJI't  h.v  I  hn  riiiiitl  Hliil 
tlidantroiid  uiiliiiliiii.iiuil  of  ihu  uuuiiiuitfii*  'Eliu  butilu  v/T 
(Jiiiiiv;o'  JSlilL  Kusl  Uwn  i\/u^Klf  il»v  rvbvl  »n-«*y  bvmg  Con 
centrated  on  tho  north  side  of  tho  C'hiokahotniny,  and 
McClcllan's  force  divided  by  tho  stream.  Tho  north  bank 
of  tho  stream  was  lost,  his  communications  t;ut  :  it  only 
remained  for  McClelhm  to  force  his  way  across  to  tlit- 
•Tames  Kivcr,  ami  establish  there  a  now  base  of  operations. 

Innumerablo  woes  and  horrors  of  war  now  crowded  about 
Savage  Station.  Tho  country  was  full  of  sick,  and  wounded, 
and  stragglers.  Tho  roar  of  tho  artillery  grew  louder  as  it 
advanced.  Trains  of  sick  and  wounded,  which  had  been 
started  for  "White  House,  were  coming  back.  It  was  an 
nounced  that  Jackson  had  cut  the  communications  of  the 
army,  and  that  Savago  Station,  with  its  thousands  of  help 
less  sick  and  wounded,  must  bo  abandoned,  and  all  that 
could  must  take  up  their  lino  of  march  for  James  River. 

Through    all     these     fearful    scenes    and    ngoiiizhuj    fears, 


118  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAR, 

while  the  very  existence  of  the  tirmy  seemed  to  bo  threat 
ened,  and  ignorant  whether  her  son  might  not  bo  at  that 
moment  stiiF  on  the  battle-field,  or  stretched  oil  an  ampu 
tation  table,  Mrs.  Fogg  continued  her  labor  for  the  sick  till 
the  last  moment,  and  then  retreated  with  the  rest  to  Harri 
son's  Landing".  On  the  way  aho  was  able,  by  giving  out 
from  her  sanitary  supplies  in  the  ambulance,  to  earn  the 
blessing  of  many  who  were  ready  to  perish. 

Her  spceial  duty  at  the  landing  was  assigned  her  by  Dr. 
Lettcrmaii —  the  charge  of  preparing  food  for  amputation 
cases,  who  must,  for  a  time  at  least,  have  only  the  sim 
plest  diet.  Occasionally,  as  opportunity  offered,  she  would 
take  an  ambulance  and  go  out  through  tho  regiments,  dis 
tributing  stores  furnished  by  the  Sanitary  Commission  to 
the  soldiers  in  their  tents  or  in  tho  trenches,  only  sorry 
that  her  supplies  were  not  twenty-fold  more  abundant. 

These  labors  were  continued  through  July  and  a  part  of 
August,  till  the  hospitals  were  broken  up,  and  tho  army 
began  to  return  to  the  Potomac.  She  then  went  in  the 
steamer  Spaulding,  with  a  load  of  wounded,  to  Philadel 
phia,  and  after  seeing  the  last  of  the  peninsula  sufferers 
comfortable  in  an  umply-furnishod  hospital,  sho  returned 
to  Maine  for  a  little  rest,  having  been  absent  then  just 
0110  year. 

Little  repose,  however,  took  this  unwearied  worker  for 
the  soldier.  In  Portland  she  waited  on  tho  mayor,  and 
obtained  letters  from  him  and  prominent  citizens  to  tho 
governor^  of  tho  state,  who  listened  with  interest  to  all  her 
plans  and  explanations,  and  wroto  her  a  long  reply,  cm- 
bodj'iug  his  views  as  to  measures  of  sanitary  relief  to  bo 


MRS.     IHARFT.T.A.    FOGG.  119 

taken  by  tho  state.  The  result  was  tho  appointment  of 
a  etuto  agent  in  tho  person  of  Colonel  Hathaway. 

With  supplies  collected  through  her  efforts,  uiid  in  com 
pany  with  Colonel  Huthaway  and  another  co-laborer,  —  ono 
of  tho  most  esteemed  ladies  of  Portland,  —  she  started 
again  for  Washington,  on  tho  4th  of  October,  the  primary 
object  being  to  supply  pressing  demands  in  tho  Maine  regi 
ments,  but  with  no  such  exclusive  charity  as  passes  un- 
iioticed  tho  needy  soldiers  wherever  they  may  bo  fouiid- 

Wide  indeed,  and  white  for  harvest,  did  she  iiiid  tho 
field  of  sanitary  labor.  The  wrecks  of  tho  campaign,  whoso 
only  feature  that  was  not  wholly  disastrous  was  tho  bloody 
field  of  Antietani,  were  strewn  widely  over  Maryland, 
filling  tho  ill-supplied  hospitals,  crowding  tho  deserted 
cabins,  and  packed  beneath  shelter-tents.  At  110  time 
during  tho  war  was  there  so  much  suffering  that  might 
have  been  saved  by  an  effective  sanitary  system  as  in  tho 
fall  of  1862.  During  October  and  November  Mrs.  Fogg 
labored  incessantly  at  numerous  hospitals,  her  efforts  being 
fully  appreciated  and  seconded  by  tho  medical  officers.  Fol 
lowing  tho  Hag,  sho  advanced  with  tho  army  into  Virginia, 
and  as  tho  winter  promised  to  bo  ono  of  grout  activity,  lior 
labors  wero  especially  directed  to  supplying  tho  Muiito  boys 
with  clothing  suitable  for  winter  and  a  winter  campaign. 

In  December  sho  penetrated  to  tho  front,  and  every  fa 
cility  was  afforded  her  by  General  Hooker,  in  whoso  corps 
sho  found  most  of  tho  Miiino  soldiers.  A  few  days  after 
sho  witnessed  that  bravo  but  unavailing  attempt  under 
liurnsidc,  and  immediately  found  abundant  work  in  tho 
hospitals  that  woro  established  after  tho  battle,  aud  in  the 


120  WOMEN*    OP    TIFE    WAR. 

great  camps  of  sick  and  convalescents  which  were  scattered 
all  the  way  from  the  Rappahannock  to  tho  Potomac. 

Let  us  from  her  diary  select  the  labors  of  a  single  day, 
and  remember  that  such  trips  were  repeated  daily  almost 
throughout  that  winter  :  — 

"  Started  with   ambulance   filled  with   necessary  stores  of 
all   kinds,    such    as    bread,    soft    crackers,    canned    chicken, 
oysters,  dried   fruit,  preserves,  condensed  milk,  dried   fish, 
pickles,  butter,  eggs,  white  sugar,  green  tea,  cocoa,  broma, 
apples,  oranges,  lemons,  cordials,  wines,  woollen  underwear, 
towels,    quilts,     feather    pillows,    all    invaluable    among    so 
many   sufferers    so    far   from    homo    and    its    comforts.      My 
first  visit  was  directed  to   those   regiments  where  tho  wants 
were    most    pressing ;    but  my  special   mission  was    to    those 
who  languished  under  bare  shelter  tents,  they  being  entirely 
dependent  upon  their  rations,  and  seldom  or  never  reached 
by  sanitary  and   hospital  stores.      In  company  with  tho  sur 
geons,  who    al \vays  welcomed    us,  wo  made    tho    tour  of  tho 
camp,  going  from  tent  to  tent,  finding  from  one  to  three  in 
each  of  those   miserable  quarters,  suffering   from   camp  dis 
eases  of  every  -form,  distributing  our  stores  at  tho  surgeons' 
suggestion.      A\ro  left  reading  matter  generally  in  each  tent. 
Then  we  would   hasten   away  to  tho   General    Hospital,  and 
pass  tho  latter  part  of  tho  day  in  reading  tho  Bible  to  some 
dying   soldier,  or  write  out  his  words  of  final  and  touching 
farewell    to  tho    loved   ones   at   home,   then   bathe   fevered 
brows,  moisten  with  water  and  refresh  with  cordials  mouths 
parched    with    fever,    and,    adjusting   pillows    under  aching 
heads,  bid  our  patients  farewell.      \Veary,  but  glad  at  heart 
for  having  it  in  our  power  to  do  so  much  for  our  boys,  wo 


MRS.     ISABELLA    FOGQ.  121 

sought  our  tents,  \vhich  scnrco  protected  us  from  snow  and 
rain  ;  but  wo  wcro  happy  in  a  sense  of  duty  discharged,  and 
iu  enjoying  the  grateful  lovo  of  our  sacrificing  heroes." 

This  routine  of  noble  and  most  useful  labor  was  now  and 
then  interrupted  by  a  visit  to  Washington,  where  Mrs. 
Fogg  went  to  receive  and  forward  to  the  camps  along  tho 
Kappalmnnock  and  Acquia  Creek,  tho  sanitary  stores  which 
were  being  regularly  shipped  from  Portland  and  other 
places  in  Maine. 

Hut  labors  and  exposures  like  these  could  hardly  bo  con 
tinued  through  that  gloomy  winter  without  interruption 
from  disease  ;  and  early  in  March  Mrs.  Fogg  was  prostrated 
with  a  severe  attack  of  pneumonia,  by  which  her  sanitary 
labors  were  interrupted  for  several  Avceks,  until  tho  sun 
and  winds  of  April  had  dried  the  deep  mud  of  a  Virginia, 
'winter,  and  General  Hooker  advanced  across  the  river  to 
establish  his  lines  at  Chaiicellorsvillc.  At  tho  time  of  tho 
great  battle  which  followed,  Mrs.  Fogg  and  the  lady  who 
had  accompanied  her  from  Portland  spent  five  days  and 
nights  of  almost  incessant  work  tit  tho  United  States  Ford, 
feeding  ami  reviving  tho  wounded  as  they  camu  pouring 
from  the  field,  as  they  wcro  too  much  exhausted  to  proceed 
without  somo  refreshment. 

About  daylight  on  Monday  morning,  tho  4th  of  A  fay,  sho 
and  her  companion,  exhausted  by  their  labors,  and  vigils, 
and  excitement,  crept  to  an  unoccupied  corner  of  a  low 
attic,  to  obtain  an  hour  of  sleep,  when  a  terrific  storm  of 
shells  and  round  shot  camo  smashing  through  tho  roof. 
The  enemy  had,  during  tho  night,  pushed  forward  a  battery, 
and  opened  upon  their  position  at  daylight.  A  terriblo 


122  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

scene  of  confusion  and  excitement  now  followed.  Tho 
screaming  and  hissing  messengers  of  death  were  fulling 
thick  and  fast  all  around,  and  piercing  the  little  hospital 
crowded  with  the  wounded.  All  who  .could  walk  or  crawl 
were  leaving  for  the  rear.  As  she  passed  0110  heroic  young 
soldier,  aho  remarked,  "  You  have  been  left,  poor  boy." 
Ho  looked  up  with  a  calm  smile,  and  replied,  "Don't  call 
me  poor  ;  I  have  laid  one  arm  on  tho  altar  of  my  country, 
and  am  ready  to  sacrifice  the  other  also."  A  solditsr,  whoso 
wounds  she  had  just  dressed,  was  this  moment  killed  by  a 
shell  which  burst  immediately  over  their  heads. 

As  this  sudden  attack  became  known,  somo  general  offi 
cers,  who  knew  tho  importance  of  tho  sanitary  stores  at 
this  hospital,  took  active  steps  for  their  defence,  and  tho 
hostile  battery  was  silenced  or  withdrawn. 

Two  weeks  later,  General  Lee  sent  a  flag  of  truce,  and 
offered  protection  to  such  detachments  as  might  be  sent 
within,  hia  lines  to  bring  u.way  somo  fifteen  hundred 
wounded. 

A  train  of  ambulances  was  accordingly  started,  and  Airs. 
Fogg  took  all  her  sanitary  stores,  which  were  the  only  sup 
plies  on  the  spot  and  available,  and  established  a  temporary 
Rest,  or  way-side  hospital,  on  tho  north  bank  of  the  river, 
near  the  ford,  where  tires  were  mado,  and  largo  quantities 
of  palatable  food  prepared  and  given  to  tho  suttercrs  in 
each  ambulance  aa  it  reached  the  bank.  For  live  days  tho 
train  of  ambulances  was  active  in  these  removals,  and 
numerous  lives  were  saved  by  the  refreshment  thus  timely 
administered  in  tho  middle  of  tho  agonizing  journey  from 
the  rebel  lines  to  the  Union  hospitals. 


MUS.     ISABELLA    FOOO.  123 

The  sufferings  and  labors  of  Chtmcellorsvillo  wcro  quickly 
followed  by  the  glorious  but  bloody  days  at  Gettysburg. 

Mrs.  Fogg  left  her  stores  to  bo  forwarded  as  soon  as 
might  bo,  and  sho  pressed  to  the  scouo  of  action,  arriving 
in  Gettysburg  on  tho  4th  of  July. 

As  there  was  a  lack  of  sanitary  stores  and  of  food  of 
all  kinds,  sho  took  a  team  and  made  an  extensive  circuit 
among  the  farmers,  col  looting  from  them  all  that  aho  could. 
Tho  Daltiinoro  fire  company  also  placed  at  her  disposal  a 
largo  amount,  which  thoy  hud  brought  forward,  and  sho 
labored  for  souno  ten  days  or  two  weeks  with  her  accus 
tomed  zeal  and  patioiico  among  that  great  host  of  sufferers, 
estimated  by  General  Mcado,  when  all  that  woro  left  on 
tho  field  from  both  armies  arc  included,  at  nearly  twenty- 
two  thousand  men. 

But  tho  corps  of  workers  was  soon  found  to  bo  propor 
tionally  largo.  Nurses,  matrons,  lady  superintendents, 
special  cooks,  and  ovcry  cltidtf  of  persons  who  can  amelio 
rate  suffering  and  make  themselves  useful  at  such  a  time, 
camo  in  great  numbers  from  tho  adjacent  cities  ;  and  Mrs. 
Fogg  was  convinced  that  sho  could  bo  of  more  service  by 
following  tho  flag,  and  keeping  with  tho  heroic  men  whoso 
stubborn  courage  had  won  that  all-important  battle. 

During  tho  full  of  1803  she  was  at  WarrtJiitou,  Cul- 
pcpper,  Bristow  Station,  Itappahuimook  Station,  Ivclly'a 
Ford,  and  Mino  Run,  and  bestowed  tho  sumo  attention  on 
tho  sick  and  -wounded  that  sho  had  tho  year  boforo  on 
nearly  tho  samo  ground. 

During  tho  winter  of  18(54:  sho  again  visited  Maine,  and 
thp  legislature  of  that  state,  much  to  their  credit,  voted  a 


124  "WOMEN"    OF    TITE    WAR. 

handsome  sum  of  money  to  bo  appropriated  arid  placed  at 
her  disposal  for  disbursal,  according  to  her  knowledge  and 
judgment  of  the  wants  of  the  soldiers.  Hurrying  back  to 
tho  front,  sho  saw  those  great  movements  inaugurated  by 
the  new  commander  of  the  army  of  the  Potomac,  and  of  all 
the  forces  of  tho  United  States,  which,  after  a  scries  of 
battles  unparalleled  in  obstinacy  and  extent,  at  last  broko 
tho  rebel  force,  and  closed  the  war. 

Then  followed  that  evor-incmorablo  second  week  of  May, 
with  hard  fighting  for  seven  consecutive  days,  and  Grant 
"determined  to  fight  it  out  on  that  line,  if  it  took  all  sum 
mer.'*  Twelve  thousand  wounded  wcro  reported  at  Kappa- 
hannock  Station  and  at  Krcdcricksburg.  Leaving  her  son 
sick  at  Alexandria,  Airs.  Fogg  drove  to  Frcdcricksburg, 
taking  Miss  Dix  in  her  ambulance,  and  found  that  old,  war- 
blasted  city  one  groat  hospital.  In  all  her  experience  sho 
had  seen  nothing  so  terrible. 

"  It  was  indescribable,"  sho  writes,  "  in  its  enormous 
woes,  a  sight  demanding  tho  tears  and  prayers  of  the  uni 
verse —  the  awful  price  of  a  nation's  existence."  Laboring 
hero  in  tho  manner  described  abovo  for  two  or  thrco 
weeks,  she  passed  on  with  tho  army  to  Front  Koyul,  and 
thciioo  to  tho  Jtimes,  crossing  it  on  the  great  pontoon 
bridge.  Hospitals  were  now  established  at  City  Point, 
and  as  tho  summer  advanced,  and  tho  army  appeared  to 
bo  stationary  around  Petersburg,  and  tho  hospitals  well 
supplied  and  easy  of  access,  sho  sought  a  scene  of  duty 
more  arduous.  Returning  north  to  Rostoii,  and  then  to 
Calais,  sho  was  successfully  engaged  in  organising  new  and 
more  extensive  plans  of  usefulness,  when  there  came  tho 


MRS.     I8AB£ULA    IXX3O.  125 

terrible  news  that  her  son,  who  had  gone  back  to  his  regi 
ment  (from  which  he  had  been  for  a  time  detailed  to  drive 
his  mother'3  ambulance)  and  been  with  Sheridan  in  the 
battle  of  Cedar  Run,  had  been  mortally  wounded. 

The  anxieties  of  the  mother  now  triumphed  over  the 
thoughts  of  philanthropy,  and  she  flow  to  Martiusburg,  in 
Virginia,  to  make  inquiries  for  her  boy.  Sho  was  about  to 
leave  the  plaee  and  press  forward  to  the  see  no  of  the  reeeutt 
action,,  when  she  happened  to  meet  a  delegate  of  the  Chris 
tian  Commission,  who  to  her  inquiries  was  enabled  to  reply 
that  her  son  had  been  in  Murtinsburg,  that  he  had  sulTered 
amputation  of  his  leg,  survived  the  operation,  been  care 
fully  attended,  and  forwarded  to  a  hospital  in  Baltimore. 
She  reached  that  city  in  a  few  hours,  greatly  exhausted  by 
the  long  journey  and  the  deep  anxiety,  but  found  her  boy 
doing  well.  Sho  attended  him  for  two  Aveeks,  when  she 
was  herself  prostrated,  and  remained  sick  more  than  a 
month.  Recovering  her  health,  in  November  she  went  to 
A\rashiugton,  and  reported  to  the  Christian  Commission. 
As  there  was  no  longer  the  same  demand  as  before  for  the 
class  of  labor  in  which  she  had  been  so  persistent  and  suc 
cessful,  she  reported  to  Mrs.  AVittemncyer,  who,  as  special 
agent  of  tho  Christian  Commission,  hud  charge  of  the 
special  diet  kitchens  in  a  great  number  of  hospitals.  By 
her  she  was  assigned  to  duty  in  Louisville,  Kentucky. 

While  laboring  hero  on  a  hospital  boat,  in  January, 
18G5,  she  stepped  through  an  unseen  opening  in  tho  dock, 
and  received  very  serious  and  permanent  injuries  from 
the  fall. 

Unable  to   return  to   the   state   for  whoso    brave  patriots 


126  -WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

sho  had  labored  so  long  and  so  successfully,  the  close  of 
the  war  found  her  a  permanent  invalid  among  strangers. 
Hut  this  affliction  was  as  nothing  in  her  estimation.  Her 
son  was  a  cripple  for  life.  Sho  would  never  enjoy  health 
again.  But,  to  use  tho  language  of  her  diary,  she  is  doily 
solaced  and  penetrated  with  deep  gratitude  to  God  that 
ho  so  long  preserved  her  in  health  and  strength,  to  wit 
ness  tho  triumph  of  tho  right,  and  tho  dawn  of  peace,  and 
tho  days  when  tho  patriot,  no  longer  languishing  in  camp 
nor  agonising  on  tho  field,  will  not  eulTer  for  what  woman, 
in  her  tenderness,  can  do  for  him. 


WHAT   WE  DID   AT    GETTYSBURG. 

THE  roar  of  another  great  battle  has  at  last  died  away. 
For  threo  long,  hot  days  in  July  tho  ground  has  jarred 
with  tho  fearful  concussion  of  threo  hundred  cannon,  and 
trembled  under  tho  tread  of  immense  hosts  of  lighting  men. 
Tho  w  long  tormented  air "  is  quiet  at  last.  Tho  fierce 
enemy  having  for  three  days  dashed  his  long  gray  lines, 
like  great  ocean  waves,  against  the  firm  battalions  that 
awaited  him  so  sternly  on  tho  crests  of  tho  hills  around  the 
town,  haa  moved  sullenly  away,  defeated,  but  dangerous 
still.  Ho  has  hurried  back  to  tho  Potomac,  and  aban 
doned  all  thought  of  planting  his  defiant  banner  on  Rattle 
Monument,  or  dictating  terms  of  settlement  to  the  loyal 
states  from  Independence  Hall.  Tho  Union  army,  after  its 
herculean  struggle,  succeeding  as  it  did  a  series  of  forced 
marches,  has  gone  into  camp,  and  is  reposing  a  little  011  its 
hard-earned,  and  blood-sprinkled  laurels.  And  now,  from 
tho  great  cities  that  were  so  recently  threatened,  come  pour 
ing  to  tho  relief  of  tho  vast  multitude  of  sufferers,  tho 
noblo  army  of  charity,  tho  Christian  Commission,  the  Sani 
tary  Commission,  representatives  of  Ladies*  Aid  Societies 
and  Soldiers'  Relief  Societies  ;  and  they  are  welcome  all, 
and  all  needed,  for  tho  amount  of  work  to  bo  done  is 
stupendous. 

(127) 


128  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAfi. 

Tho  invader  has  left  eight  thousand  wounded  to  tho 
tenderness  and  mercy  of  those,  whoso  homes  a  few  days 
ago  they  were  threatening  to  burn,  and  whoso  government, 
and  priceless  liberty,  and  constitution  they  hoped  to  sco 
toppled  to  tho  dust.  More  than  thirteen  thousand  loyal 
soldiers  are  wounded ;  so  that  here  lie  over  twaiity-two 
thousand  suffering,  bleeding,  dying  men. 

They  are  in  want  of  everything  than  can  conduce  to  com 
fort,  assuage  pain,  or  lift  and  illuminate  tho  ever-deepening 
sliadow  that  covers  them  as  they  go  down  into  tho  dark 
valley.  Tho  wounded  of  both  armies  had  marched,  for 
many  a  long,  hot  duy,  under  a  broiling  sun,  and  through 
clouds  of  dust.  From  tho  15th  Juno,  when  tho  Fudorul 
general  broke-  camp  at  Falinouth,  till  tho  4th  of  July,  when 
the  issuo  hud  been  met  and  decided,  it  had  bccu  ouo  swifb 
succession  of  long,  forced  marches,  growing  longer  and 
more  strenuous,  to  end  only  in  tho  forces  being  plunged 
into  the  bloodiest  battlo  of  tho  war.  Tho  sun  smote  fierce 
on  all  tho  torn  and  dusty  landscape  ;  thcro  was  110  shade  on 
tho  battle-field,  110  food,  no  rest,  or  help,  or  cheer  of  any 
kind.  The  medical  corps  had  moved  southward  with  tho 
army,  expecting  another  great  battle  near  tho  Potomac,  and 
tho  greater  part  of  tho  immense  duty  of  caring  for  all  theso 
wounded  devolved  on  voluntary  charity,  the  unpaid  good 
ness  of  those  hundreds  of  noblo  souls,  both  men  and 
women,  who  were  seeking  no  reward  but  an.  approving 
conscience,  and  tho  final  benediction,  "  Inasmuch  as  yo  have 
dono  it  unto  tho  least  of  those  my  brethren,  yo  have  done 
it  unto  me." 

'While  the  battlo  was   raging  these  wounded  were  gath- 


WHAT  WE   nio  AT  OETTVsnuKO.  129 

crcd  into  field  hospitals,  without  reference  to  organization. 
In  a  few  days  these  were  broken  up,  and  nil  who  could  bear 
transportation  brought  to  tho  railroad  station,  and  cithers 
collected  into  corps  and  division  hospitals.  At  tho  depot, 
tho  Sanitary  Commission,  anticipating  tho  wants  of  the  rase, 
had  eomo  prepared  from  Baltimore,  and  a  spacious  lodge 
or  rest  was  erected.  I^iirgo  store  tents  were  at  hand,  iillccl 
with  all  manner  of  supplies,  fi»r  the  preparations  to  meet 
tl»is  emergency'  were  commensurate  with  the  magnitude  of 
tho  work.  A  cook-house  was  put  up,  with  caldrons  and 
stoves,  and  a  steam  apparatus,  and  these  were  all  kept 
in  full  operation,  day  and  night. 

These  preliminary  arrangements  were  completed  l»y  tho 
9th  July,  and  then  the  labor  could  be  systematic  and  olVtro- 
tivc.  Day  after  day,  and  frequently  for  a  great  portion  of 
tho  night,  these  labors  continued  lor  four  months.  At 
length  the  various  smaller  hospitals,  in  and  near  town,  were- 
broken  up,  and  the  wounded  that  could  not  be  removed 
farther  were  collected  at  Camp  I^etterman,  011  tho  hills  east 
of  the  Gettysburg;  and  here  these  sanitary  labors  were  con 
tinued  till  the  17th  Xovombcr,  when  tho  last  car-load  of 
mutilated  men  took  its  departure  for  Pittsburg,  in  tho 
railway  ambulance. 

Nearly  all  who  had  ever  labored  for  tho  soldiers  in  tho 
east  came  here  ;  and  representatives  of  a  hundred  delight 
ful  homes,  whoso  family  names  had  been  knowu  and  hon 
ored  in  the  northern  cities  and  colleges  since  tho  Mayflower 
landed,  might  be  seen  devoting  themselves,  in  tho  heartiest 
cheerfulness  and  good  will,  to  the  noble  work. 

Olio  there  was  —  her  name  is  not  to  bo  written  on  these 
9 


130  WOMHEX    OF    TTTE    WAR. 

pages,  hut  it  is  well  known  to  tho  recording  angel —  the 
excellence  of  whose  work  id  equalled  only  by  tho  charm 
ing1  simplicity  and  grace  of  her  narrative.  One  of  her 
own  sex,  herself  a  noble  worker,  thus  eulogizes  tho  fair 
authoress  of  the  story-  below,  known  perhaps  already  to 
some  <>f  our  readers,  under  the  title  of  "  AVhat  wo  did  at 
Gettysburg  :  "  — 

"She  is  now  (18<»:l)  in  a  far  distant  hospital,  and  it  is 
therefore  not  improper  that  this  allusion  to  her  should  be 
mad**.  Tier  sense,  energy,  lightness,  and  quickness  of 
action,  her  thorough  knowledge  of  the  work,  her  amazing 
yet  simple  resources,  her  shy  humility,  which  made  her 
regard  her  own  work  with  impatience,  almost  with  con 
tempt  ;  all  this,  and  much  else,  lias  made  the  memory  of 

a    source    of  strength   and    tenderness,    which    nothing 

can  take  away." 

"What  we  did  at  Gcttj-sbiirg,  for  the  three  weeks  we 

were  there,  you  will  want  to  know.  f  Wo  *  are  IVIrs.  

and  myself,  who,  happening  to  be  on  hand  at  the  right 
moment,  gladly  fell  in  with  the  proposition  to  do  what  we 
could  at  tho  tho  Sanitary  Commission  Ixidgo  after  the 
battle.  There  were,  of  course,  the  agents  of  the  Commis 
sion,  already  on  the  field,  distributing  supplies  to  tho  hos 
pitals,  and  working  night  and  day  among  the  wounded.  I 
cannot  pretend  to  tell  you  what  was  done  by  all  tho  big 
-wheels  of  tho  concern,  but  only  how  two  of  tho  smallest 
ones  went  round,  and  what  turned  up  in  tho  going. 

"Twenty-four  hours  wo  were  in  making  the  journey 
between  Baltimore  and  Gettysburg,  places  only  four  hours 


of    falling    through,    between    tho 


^^M^^k^:M  & 
^:;.:SBbJ™BSSSl  ?-: 


.;•- 

.r&.   V:^^;^^;fe^^^^.  :•: 
-V  3tei.:W;:  gg^B^Sf 

• 


WILAT    WE     nin     AT    GETTYSBURG.  131 


apart  in  ordiimry  running  tiino  ;  and  this  will  give  you 
soiuo  idea  of  the  diiliculty  there  was  of  bringing'  141  .supplied 
when  the  fighting  was  over,  and  the  delays  in  'transporting 
wounded.  Coming  towards  tho  town  at  this  crawling  rate, 
wo  pas.scd  CXMJIO  fields  wlioro  tho  fences  wero  down,  «md  tho 
ground  slightly  tossed  up.  'That's  whore  Kilpatrick's  cav 
alrymen  fought  tho  rebels,*  .some  0110  said  ;  '  and  close  by 
that  ham  a  rehel  soldier  was  found,  day  before  yesterday, 
sitting  dead  ;  *  110  0110  to  help,  poor  sold,  'near  tho  whole 
city  full.'  Tho  railroad  bridge,  broken  up  l»y  the  enemy, 
government  had  not  rebuilt  as  yet,  and  wo  stopped  two 
miles  from  the  town,  to  find  that,  as  usual,  just  where  tho 
government  had  left  oft*,  tho  Commission  had  como  in. 
There  stood  their  temporary  lodge  and  kitchen,  and  hero,. 
hobbling  out  of  their  tents,  came  tho  wounded  men  who  had. 
made  their  way  clown  from  tho  corps  hospital,  expecting  to 
leave  at  once  in  the  return  cars.  &  -»... 

"This  is  tho  way  the  thing  was  managed  lit  first:  Tho 
surgeons,  left  in  care  of  tho  wounded  three  or  four  miles 
out  from  tho  town,  went  up  and  down  among  the  men  in 
the  morning,  and  said,  'Any  of  you  boys  who  can  make 
your  way  to  the  cars,  can  go  to  Baltimore.'  So  oil"  start 
all  who  think  they  foci  well  enough,  anything  being  bettor 
than  tho  'hospitals,'  so  called,  for  tho  first  few  days  after  a 
battle.  Onco  tho  men  have  tho  surgeon's  permission  to  go, 
they  are  oft";  and  there-  may  bo  im  interval  of  a  day,  or  two 
days,  should  any  of  them  bo  too  weak  to  reaclt  tho  train  in 
time,  during  which  these  poor  follows  belong  to  110  ono,  tho 
hospital  at  ono  end,  tho  railroad  at  tho  otlier,  with  far  more 
tlmu  chance  of  falling  through  between  tho  two.  Tho 


132  WoifEN"    OP    TTTF,    WAR. 

Sanitary  Commission  knew  this  would  bo  so  of  necessity,  and, 
coming  in,  made  a  connecting  link  between  these  two  ends. 

"  For  the  first  few  days  the  worst  cases  only  camo  down  in 
ambulances  from  the  hospitals  ;  hundreds  of  fellows  hobbled 
along  as  best  tho.y  could,  in  heat  and  dust,  for  hours,  slowly 
toiling,  and  many  hired  farmers'  wagons,  as  hard  as  the 
farmers*  fists  themselves,  and  were  jolted  down  to  the  rail 
road  at  three  or  four  dollars  the  man.  Think  of  the  disap 
pointment  of  a  soldier,  sick,  body  and  heart,  to  find,  at  tho 
end  of  this  miserable  journey,  that  his  effort  to  get  away, 
into  which  he  had  put  ull  his  remaining  stock  of  strength, 
was  useless;  that  'the  cars  had  gone,'  or  'tho  cars  wero 
full  ;  '  that  while  ho  was  coming  others  had  stepped  clown 
before  him,  and  that  he  must  turn  all  tho  weary  way  back 
again,  or  sleep  on  tho  roadside  till  tho  next  train  '  to-mor 
row.'  Think  what  this  would  have  been,  and  you  aro  ready 
to  appreciate  the  relief  and  comfort  that  was.  No  men 
were  turned  back.  You  fed  and  you  sheltered  them  just 
when  no  one  else  could  have  done  so  ;  and  out  of  tho  boxes 
and  barrels  of  good  and  nourishing  things,  which  you, 
people  tit  home,  had  supplied,  wo  took  all  that  was  needed. 
Some  of  you  sent  a  stove  (that  is,  tho  money  to  get  it), 
some  of  you  tho  beef-stock,  some  of  you  the  milk  and  fresh 
bread ;  and  all  of  you  would  have  been  thankful  that  you 
had  dono  so,  could  you  have  seen  the  refreshment  and 
comfort  received  through  these  things. 

"  As  soon  as  the  men  hobbled  up  to  the  tents,  good  hot 
soup  was  given  all  round ;  and  that  over,  their  wounds 
wero  dressed, — for  the  gentlemen  of  tho  Commission  are 
.cooks  or  surgeons,  as  occasion  demands, and,  finally, 


WHAT    WE    DDO    AT    GETTYSBURG.  133 

with  their  blankets  spread  over  the  straw,  the  men  stretched 
themselves  out,  and  were  happy  and  contented  till  morning, 
and  the  next  train. 

"  On  tho  day  that  tho  railroad  bridge  was  repaired  wo 
moved  up  to  tho  depot,  close  by  tho  town,  and  had  things 
in  perfect  order ;  a  first-rate  camping  ground,  in  a  lurge 
field  directly  by  tho  track,  with  unlimited  supply  of  deli 
cious,  cool  water.  Horo  we  set  up  two  stoves,  with  four 
largo  boilers,  ulwuys  kept  full  of  soup  aud  coffee,  watched 
by  four  or  five  black  men,  who  did  tho  cooking  under  our 
direction,  and  sang  (not  under  our  direction)  at  the  tops  of 
their  voices  all  day,  — 

•O  darkles,  liab  you  soon  my  maasa?  ' 
'When  thia  cruel  war  ia  over.* 

Then  wo  hud  threo  largo  hospital  tents,  holding  about 
thirty-nve  each,  a  largo  camp-meeting  supply  tent,  where 
barrels  of  goods  wore  stored,  and  our  own  smaller  tent 
fitted  up  with  tables,  where  jolly-pots  and  bottles  of  all 
kinds  of  good  sirups,  blackberry  and  black  currant,  stood 
in  rows.  Barrels  wero  ranged  round  tho  tent  walls  ;  shirts, 
drawers,  dressing-gowns,  socks,  and  slippers  (I  wish  wo  had 
more  of  tho  latter),  rags  and  bandages,  each  in  its  own 
place  on  0110  side  ;  on  tho  other,  boxes  of  tea,  coftco,  soft 
crackers,  tamarinds,  cherry  brandy,  <fcc.  Over  tho  kitchen, 
and  over  this  small  supply  tout,  wo  women  rather  reigned, 
and  filled  up  our  wants  by  requisitions  on.  the  Commission's 
depot.  By  this  time  there  had  arrived  a  <  delegation '  of 
just  tho  right  kind  from  Canandaigua,  New  York,  with  sur 
geon  dressers  and  attendants,  bringing  a  first-rate  supply 


134  WOMEN    OF   THE    WAB. 

of  necessaries    and   comforta   for   tho  wounded,  which  thoy 
handed  over  to  tho  Commission. 

"  Twice  a  day  tho  trains  left  for  Baltimore  or  ITarrisburg, 
and  twice  a  day  AVO  fed  all  tho  wounded  who  arrived  for  them. 
Things  were  systematized  now,  and 'the  men  came  down,  in 
long  ambulance  trains  to  tho  cars  :  baggage  cars  they  were, 
ft  tied  with  straw  for  tho  "wounded  to  lio  on,  and  broken 
open  at  either  end  to  let  in  tho  air.  A  government  surgeon 
was  always  present  to  attend  to  tho  careful  lifting  of  tho 
soldiers  from  ambulance  to  car.  Many  of  tho  men  could 
got  along  very  nicely,  holding  ono  foot  up,  and  taking  great 
jumps  on  their  crutches.  Tho  latter  wero  a  great  comfort  : 
we  had  u  nice  supply  at  tho  lodge,  and  thoy  travelled  up  and 
down  from,  tho  tents  to  tho  cars  daily.  Only  occasionally 
did  we  duro  let  a  pair  go  on  with  some  very  lame  soldier, 
who  begged  for  them  :  wo  needed  them  to  help  tho  new 
arrivals  each  day,  and  trusted  to  tho  men  being  supplied  at 
the  hospitals  at  tho  journey's  end.  Pads  and  crutches  aro 
a  standing  want  —  pads  particularly.  "\Vo  manufactured 
them  out  of  tho  rngs  wo  had,  stuffed  with  sawdust  from 
brandy  boxes  ;  and  with  half  a  sheet,  and  eomo  soft  straw, 

.  Mrs.  made  a  poor  dying  boy  as   easy  as  his  sufferings 

"would  permit.  Poor  young  fellow  !  ho  was  so  grateful  to 
her  for  washing,  and  feeding,  and  comforting  him  !  He 
was  too  ill  to  bear  the  journey,  and  went  from  our  tent  to 
the  church  hospital,  and  from  tho  church  to  his  grave,  which 

would  have  been  coffinlesa  but  for  tho  caro  of ,  for  tho 

quartermaster's  department  was  overtaxed,  and  for  many 
days  our  dead  were  simply  wrapped  in  their  blankets  and 
put  into  the  .earth.  It  is  a  soldierly  way,  after  all — lying 


WHAT    WE    I>IE>    AT    GETTYSBU11O.  135 

wrapped    in    tho     old    wuir-woiru,     blanket,     tlio  -  littlo    dust 
returned   to   dust. 

"  When  tho  surgeons  hud  tho  wounded  all  placed,  with  us 
much  comfort  us  seemed  possiblo  under  tho  circumstances, 
on  board  tho  train,  our  detail  of  men  would  go  from  oar  to 
car,  with  soup  made*  of  beef-stock  or  fresh  moat,  full  of 
potatoes,  turnips,  cabbage,  and  rice,  with  fresh  bread  and 
codec,  and,  when,  stimulants  were  needed,  with' ale*, 'milk 
punch,  or  brandy.  AVater  "pails  were  in  great  demand  for 
use  in  the  cars  on  tho  journey,  and  also  empty  bottles,  to 
tako  tho  placo  of  canteens.  All  our  whiskey  and  brandy 
bottled  were  washed  and.  filled  up  at  tho  spring,  and  the  boys 
went  oft.",  carefully  hugging  their  extemporized  canteens, 
from,  which  they  would  wot  their  wounds,  or  refresh  them 
selves,  till  tho  journey  ended.  I  do  not  think  that  a  man 
of  tho  sixteen  thousand,  who  wcro  transported  during  our 
stay,  went  from  Gettysburg  without  u  good  meal  :  rebels  and 
Unionists  together,  they  all  had  it,  and  were  pleased  and 
satisfied.  'Have  you  friends  in  tho  army,  madam?'  a  rebel 
soldier,  lying  oil  tho  iloor  of  the  car,  said  to  mo,  as  I  gave 

him  some  milk.      '  Yes  ;    my  brother  ia  ou  *s   staff.'      *  I 

thought  so,  ma'am.  You  can  always  tell  ;  when  people  are 
good  to  soldiers  thoy  arc  sure  to  havo  friends  in  tho  army.' 
'  \Ve  aro  rebels,  you  know,  ma'am,'  another  said  ;  c  do  you 
treat  rebels  so?'  It  was  strange  to  see  tho  good  brotherly 
feeling  como  over  tho  soldiers  —  our  own  and  the  rebel  — 
when  side  by  sido  they  lay  in  our  touts.  c  Hallo,  boys  ! 
this  is  tho  plcasaiitcst  way  to  meet  —  isn't  it?  Wo  aro 
better  friends  when  wo  ii.ro  us  close  as  this,  than  a  little 
farther  off.'  And  then  they  would  go  over  tho  battles 


136  WOMEN    OF    TELE    WAR. 

together — 'We  were  hero,' and  'You  -were  there,'  in.  the 
friendliest  way. 

ct  After  each  train  of  cars,  daily,  for  tho  throe  weeks  wo 
woro  in  Gettysburg,  trains  of  ambulances  arrived  too  lato  — 
men  who  must  spend  tho  day  with  us  until  tho  five  P.  M. 
cars  went,  and  men  too  lato  for  tho  fivo  P.  M.  train,  who 
must  spqnd  tho  night  till  tho  ten  A.  M.  cars  went.  All  tho 
men  who  came,  in  this  way,  under  our  own.  immediate  and 
particular  attention,  were  given  tho  best  wo  had  of  care  and 
food.  The  surgeon  in  charge  of  our  camp,  with  his  most 
faithful  drcaacr  and  attendants,  looked  after  all  their  wounds, 
which  were  often  in  a  most  ahookiiig  state,  particularly 
among  the  rebels.  Every  evening  and  morning  they  wero 
dressed.  Often  the  men  would  say,  'That  feels  good.  I 
haven't  had  my  wound  so  well  dressed  since  I  was  hurt.' 
Something  cool  to  drink  is  the  first  thing  asked  for,  after 
tho  long,  dusty  drive,  and  pailfuls  of  tamarinds  and  water  — 
*  a  beautiful  drink,'  tho  men  used  to  say  —  disappeared 
rapidly  among  them. 

"After  tho  men's  wounds  were  attended  to,  wo  went 
round  giving  them  clean  clothes  ;  had  basins,  and  soup,  and 
towels  ;  and  followed  these  with  socks,  slippers,  shirts, 
drawers,  and  those  coveted  dressing  gowns.  Such  pride  as 
they  felt  in  them  !  —  comparing  colors,  and  smiling  all  over 
as  they  lay  in  clean  and  comfortable  rows  ready  for  supper 
'on  dress  parade,'  they  used  to  say.  And  then  tho  milk, 
particularly  if  it  were  boiled,  and  had  a  little  ivhiskcy  and 
sugar,  and  the  bread,  with  butter  oil  it,  and  jolly  on  tho 
butter  —  how  good  it  all  was,  and  how  lucky  we  felt  our 
selves  in  having  tho  immense  satisfaction  of  distributing 


WHAT    WE    DED    AT    GETTYSBtTRa.  137 

these  things,  'which,  all  of  you,  hard  at  work  in  villages  and. 
cities,  were  getting  ready  and  sending  off,  in  faith ! 

*  Canaudaigua  sent  cologne,  with  its  other  supplies,  which 
went  right  to  the  noses  and  hearts  of  the  men.  *  That  is 
good,  now;'  *  I'll  take  some  of  that;'  'worth  a  penny  a 
sniff;'  'that  kinder  gives  one  life;'  and  so  on,  all  round 
the  tents,  as  wo  tipped  the  bottles  up  on  the  clean  handker 
chiefs  some  one  had  sent,  and  when  they  were  gone,  over 
squares  of  cotton,  on  which  tho  perfume  took  the  place  of 
hem,  — 'just  as  good,  ma'am.'  \Ve  varied  our  dinners  with 
custard  and  baked  rico  puddings,  scrambled  eggs,  codfish 
hash,  corn  a  torch,  and  always  ad  much  soft  bread,  tea, 
coffee,  or  milk  as  they  wanted.  Two  Massachusetts  boys' 
I  especially  remember,  for  tho  satisfaction  with  which  they 
ate  their  pudding.  I  carried  a  second  plateful  up  to  the 
cars,  after  they  had  been  put  in,  and  fed  ono  of  them  till  he 
was  sure  ho  had  had  enough.  Young  follows  they  were, 
lying  side  by  side,  ono  with  a  right  and  ono  with  a  loft 
arm  gone. 

w  Tho  Gettysburg  women  were  kiud  and  faithful  to  the 
wounded  and  their  friends,  and  tho  town  was  full  to  over 
flowing  of  both.  Tho^  first  day,  when  Mrs.  and  I 

reached  tho  place,  wo  literally  begged  our  bread  from  door 
to  door ;  but  the  kind  woman  who  at  last  gave  us  dinner, 
would  take  no  pay  for  it.  '  No,  ma'am,  I  shouldn't  wish  to 
have  that  sin  on  my  soul  when  tho  war  is  over.'  She,  as 
well  aa  others,  had  fed  the  strangers  flocking  into  town 
daily  ;  sometimes  over  fifty  of  them  for  each  meal,  and  all 
for  love,  and  nothing  for  reward  ;  and  ono  night  wo  forced 
a  reluctant  confession  from  our  hostess  that  she  wu£  mean- 


138  WMEN    OP   THE    WAR. 


ing-  to  sleep  on.  the  floor  that  wo  might  have  a  bed  —  her 
whole  house  being-  full.  Of  course  wo  couldn't  allow  this 
self-sacrifice,  and  hunted  up  some  other  place  to  stay  in. 
"Wo  did  her  no  good,  however,  for  we  afterwards  found  that 
the  bed  was  given  up  that  night  to  some  other  stranger  who 
arrived  late  and  tired  :  f  Ail  old  lady,  you  know,  and  I 
couldn't  let  uu.  old  lady  sleep  on  the  floor.'  Such  acts  of 
kindness  and  self-denial  were  almost  entirely  contincd  to 
the  women. 

"Few  good  things  can  bo  said  of  tho  Gettysburg  farmers, 
and  I  only  use  Scripture  language  in  calling  them  *  evil 
beasts.'  One  "of  this  kind  came  creeping  into  our  camp 
three  weeks  after  the  battle.  Ho  lived  tivo  miles  only  from 
the  town,  and  had  i  never  seen  a  rebel.'  lie  -heard  we  had 
some  of  them,  and!  came  down  to  see  them.  'Bo3rs,'  wo 
said,  marching  him.  into  tho  tent,  which  happened  to  bo  full 
of  rebels  that  day  waiting  for  tho  train,  —  *  boys,  here's  a 
man.  who  never  saw  a  rebel  in  his  life,  and  wants  to  look  at 
you  ;  '  and  there  ho  stood  with  his  mouth  wide  open,  and 
there  they  lay  in.  rows,  laughing  at  him,  stupid  old  Dutch 
man.  f  And  why  haven't  you  seen,  a  rebel  ?  '  Airs.  - 
said  ;  *  why  didn't  you  take  your  gun.  and  help  to  drivo 
them  out  of  your  town?  '  '  A  feller  uaight'er  got  hit  ;  '  - 
which  reply  was  quite  too  much  for  the  rebels  ;  they  roared 
with  laughter  at  him,  up  and  down  tho  tent.  One  woman, 
ive  saw,  who  was  by  no  means  Dutch,  and  whoso  pluck 
helped  to  redeem,  tho  other  sex.  Sho  lived  in  a.  little 
house  close  up  by  the  field  where  the  hardest  fighting  was 
done  —  a  red-cheeked,  strong,  country  girl.  *  Were  you 
frightened  when  the  shells  began  flying?'  '"Well,  no  ;  you 


WHAT  WE  i>rr>   AT  GETTYSBURG.  139 

see  wo  was  all  a  baking  bread  round  hero  for  the  soldiers, 
and  had  our  dough  a-rising.  Tho  neighbors  they  ran  into 
their  cellars,  but  I  couldn't  leavo  ray  bread.  When  tho 
first  shell  came  hi  at  tho  window,  and  crashed  through  tho 
room,  an  officer  came  and  said,  "You  had  better  get  out  of 
this;"  but 'I  told  him  I  could  not  leave  my  bread,  and  I 
Stood  working  it  till  tho  third  shell  camo  through  ;  nnd  then 
I  went  down  collar,  but  (triumphantly)  I  loft  my  bread  in 
tho  oven.'  f  Aud  why  didn't  you  go  before?'  '  Oj-  you 
seo,  if  I  had,  tho  rebels  would  huvo  como  in  arid  daubed 
the  dough  all  over  tho  place.'  And  hero  aho  hud  stood,  at 
tho  risk  of  unwelcome  plums  in  her  loaves,  while  great 
holes,  which,  wo  saw,  wcro  made  by  shot  and  shell  through 
and  through  tho  room  in  which  she  was  working. 

"Tho  streets  of  Gettysburg  were  filled  with  tho  battle. 
People  thought  mid  talked  of  nothing  else  ;  oven  tho  chil 
dren  showed  their  littlo  spites,  by  calling  to  each  other, 
"  Here, -you  rebel  !  '  and  nacre  scraps  of  boys  amused  them 
selves  with  percussion  caps  and  hammers.  Hundreds  of 
old  muskets  were  piled  oil  tho  pavements,  tho  men  who 
shouldered  them  a  week  before  lying  under  ground  now, 
or  helping  to  fill  tho  long  trains  of  ambulances  on  their  way 
from  the  field.  Tho  private  houses  of  tho  town,  were,  many 
of  them,  hospitals  ;  tho  littlo  red  flags  hung  from  the  upper 
windows. 

"Besides  our  own  men  at  tho  lodge,  we  all  had  soldiers 
scattered  about  whom  wo  could  help  from  our  supplies  ; 
and  nico  littlo  puddings  and  jellies,  or  an  occasional  chicken, 
were  a  great  treat  to  men  condemned  by  their  wounds  to 
stay  in  Gettysburg,  and  obliged  to  live  on  what  the  empty 


I. 


14O  WpMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

town  could  provide.  Thero  was  a  colonel  in  a  shoo  shop, 
a  captain  just  up  the  street,  and  a  private  round  the  corner 
(whose  young  sister  had  possessed  herself  of  him,  over 
coming  tho  military  rules  in  eotao  way,  and  carry iiig  him 
off  to  a  little  room,  all  by  himself,  -where  I  found  her  doing 
her  best  with  very  little).  She  came  afterwards  to  our 
tent,  and  got  for  him  clean  clothes  and  good  food,  and  all 
he  wanted,  and  was  perfectly  happy  in  being  hia  cook, 
washerwoman,  medical  cadet,  and  nurse.  Besides  such  as 
these,  we  occasionally  carried  from  our  supplied  something 
to  the  churches,  which  were  filled  with  sick  and  wounded, 
and  where  men  were  dying,  —  men  whoso  strong  patience  it 
was  very  hard  to  bear,  —  dying  with  thoughts  of  the  old 
homo  far  away,  saying,  as  hist  words  for  the  woman  watch 
ing  there,  and  waiting  with  a  patience  equal  in  its  strength, 
'  Tell  her  I  love  her  1  * 

**  Late  one  afternoon  —  too  late  for  the  cars  —  a  train  of 
ambulances  arrived  at  our  lodge  with  over  one  hundred 
wounded  rebels  to  bo  cared  for  through  the  night.  Only 
one  among  them  seemed  too  wcuk  and  faint,  to  take  any 
thing.  Ho  was  badly  hurt  and  failing.  I  went  to  him  after 
his  wound  was  dressed,  and  found  him  lying  on  his  blanket, 
stretched  over  the  straw  —  a  fair-haired,  blue-eyed  young, 
lieutenant  —  a  face  innocent  enough  for  one  of  our  own 
New  England  boys.  I  could  not  think  of  him  as  a  rebel. 
He  was  too  near  heaven  for  that.  He  wanted  nothing  — 
had  not  been  willing  to  cat  for  days,  his  comrades  said ;  but 
I  coaxed  him  to  try  a  little  milk  gruel,  flavored  nicely  with 
lemon  and  brandy  ;  and  one  of  the  satisfactions  of  our  three 
weeks  is  the  remembrance  of  the  empty  cup  I  took  away 


WHAT    WE    I>rD    AT    OE'ITX  BBTJRQ .  141 

afterwards,  and  his  perfect  enjoyment  of  that  supper.  '  It 
was  so  good — the  best  thing  he  had  had  since  he  was 
wounded  ;  '  and  he  thanked  mo  BO  much,  and  talked  about 
his  *  good  supper '  for  hours.  Poor  creature  !  ho  luul  had 
no  care,  and  it  was  a  surprise  and  pleasure  to  find  himself 
thought  of;  so,  in  a  pleased,  child-like  way,  ho  talked 
about  it  till  midnight,  the  attendant  told  me,  —  as  long  as 
ho  spoke  of  anything  ;  for  at  midnight  the  change  came, 
and  from  that  time  ho  only  thought  of  the  old  days  before 
ho  was  a  soldier,  when  he  sang  hymna  in  his  father's  church. 
Ho  sang  them  now  again,  in  a  clear,  sweet  voice  :  'Lord, 
have  mercy  upon  mo  ;  '  and  then  songs  without  words  —  a 
sort  of  low  intoning.  His  father  was  a  Lutheran  clergy 
man  in  South  Carolina,  one  of  the  rebels  told  us  in  the 
morning,  when  wo  wont  into  the  tent  to  find  him  sliding 
out  of  our  care.  All  day  long  wo  watched  him  —  some 
times  fighting  his  battles  over — oftcner  singing  his  Lu 
theran  chants  ;  till  in  at  the  tent  door,  close  to  which  he 
lay,  looked  a  rebel  soldier,  just  arrived  with  other  prisoners. 
He  started  when  ho  saw  the  lieutenant,  and,  quickly  kneel 
ing  down  by  him,  called,  'Henry!  Henry!'  but  Henry 
was  looking  at  somo  one  a  great  way  off",  and  could  not 
hear  him. 

" *  Do  you  know  this  soldier?'  wo  said. 

"'O,  yes,  ma'am!  and  his  brother  is  wounded,  and  a 
prisoner,  too,  in  the  cars  now.' 

"Two  or  three  men  started  after  him,  found  him,  and 
half  carried  him  from  the  cars  to  our  tent.  '  Henry  *  did 
not  know  him,  though,  and  he  threw  himself  down  by  his 
aide  on  the  straw,  and  for  the  rest  of  the  day -lay  in  a  sort 


14:2  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAH. 

of  apathy,  without  speaking,  except  to  assure  himself  that 
he  could  stay  with  his  hrother  without  the  risk  of  being 
separated  from  his  fellow-prisoners. 

"And  there  the  brothers  lay,  and  there-  we,  strangers,  sat 
watching,  and  listening  to  the  strong,  clear  voice,  singing, 
*  Lord,  have  mercy  xipon  mo.'  The  Lord  had  mercy  ;  and 
at  sunset  I  put  ray  hand  on  the  lieutenant's  heart  to  find 
it  still  ! 

"All  night  the  brother  lay  close  against  the  coffin,  and  in 
the  morning  he  went  with  his  comrades,  leaving  us  to  bury 
Henry,  having  f  confidence,*  but  first  thanking  us  for  what 
we  had  done,  and  giving  us  all  that  ho  had  to  show  his 

gratitude the  palmetto  ornament  from  his  brother's  cap, 

and  a  button  from  hia  coat. 

"Dr.  "W read  the  burial  service  that  morning  at  the 

grave,  and  —  wrote  his  name  on  the  little  head-board  : 

c  Lieutenant  Ranch,.  Fourteenth  Regiment '  South  Carolina 
"Volunteers.' 

"In  the  field  "whore  wo  buried  him,  a  number  of  colored 
freedmen,  working  for  government  on  the  railroad,  had 
their  camp  ;  and  every  night  they  took  their  recreation,  after 
the  heavy  work  of  the  day  was  over,  in  prayer  meetings- 
Such  an  '  inferior  race,'  you  know  I  \\ro  went  over  one 
night  and  listened. for  an  hour,  while  they  sang,  collected 
under  the  fly  of  a  tent,  a  table  in  the  middle,  where  the 
leader  sat,  and  benches  all-  round  the  sides  for  the  .congre 
gation, — -men  only,: — all  very  black  and  very  earnest. 
They  prayed -with  all  their  souls,  as  only  black  men  and 
slaves  can,  for  themselves :  and  for  the  door  white  people, 
who  had  come  over  to  the  meeting,  and  for'Massa  Lincoln,' 


WHAT    WE    I>H>    AT    OETTY8BTTHO .          ,  143 

for  whom  thoy  seemed  to  have  a  reverential  affection,  some 
of  them  a  sort  of  worship,  which  confused  Father  Abraham 
and  Massa  Abraham  in  one  general  call  for  blessings. 
^Whatever  else  they  asked  for,  they. must  have  strength  and 
comfort,  and  blessing  for  '  Massa  Lincoln.'  Very  little  care 
was  taken  of  these  poor  men.  Those  who  were  ill  during 
our  stay  woro  looked  after  by  one  of  the  officers  of  the 
Commission.  Thoy  were  grateful  for  every  little  thing. 

Mrs.  went  into  the  town  and  hunted  up  several  dozen 

bright  handkerchiefs,  hemmed  them,  and  sent  them  over  to 
bo  distributed  the  next  night  after  mooting.  Thoy  wcro  put 
on  the  table  in  the  tent,  and  one  by  one  the  men  ciimo  up 
to  get  them.  Purple,  and  blue,  and  yellow,  the  handkor- 
chicfa  were,  and  tho  dcsiro  of  ovory  man's  heart  fastened 
itself  on  a  yellow  one  :  thoy  politely  made  way  for  each 
other,  though,  one  man  standing  back  to  lot  another  pass 
up  first,  although  he  ran  the  risk  of  seeing  tho  particular 
pumpkin  color  that  riveted  his  oyes  taken  from  before 
them.  When  tho  distribution  was  over,  each  man  tied  his 
head  up  in  his  handkerchief,  and  sang  one  more  hymn, 
keeping  time  all  round,  with  bluo,  and  purple,  and  yellow 
nods,  and  thanking  and  blessing  tho  white  people,  in  '  their 
basket  and  in  their  store/  as  much  as  if  tho  cotton  hand 
kerchiefs  had  all  been  gold  leaf.  One  man  came  over  to 
our  tent  next  day  to  say,  '  Missus,  was  it  you  who  sent  mo 
that  present?  I  never  had  anything  so  beautiftd  in  all  my 
life  l^eforo  •  '  and  he  only  had  a  blue  one,  too. 
;  "Among  our  wounded,  soldiers,  one  night,  camo  an  elderly 
man,  sick,  wounded, 'and  crazy,  singing  and  talking  about 
home.  We  did  what  we  could  for  him,  and  pleased  him 


144  WOMEN   OF    THE    WAK. 

greatly  with  a  present  of  a  red  flannel  shirt,  drawers,  and 
red  calico  dressing-  gown,  all  of  which  he  needed,  and  in 
which  ho  dressed  himself  up,  and  then  wrote  a  letter  to  his 
•wife,  made  it  into  a  little  book  with  gingham  covers,  and 
gave  it  to  one  of  the  gentlemen  to  mail  for  him.  The  next 
morning  ho  was  sent  on  with  the  company  from  the  Hiodge, 
and  that  evening  two  tired  women  came  into  our  camp  — 
his  wife  and  sister,  who  hurried  on  from  their  home  to  meet 
him,  arriving  just  too  lato.  Fortunately  we  had  the  queer 
little  gingham  book  to  identify  him  by,  and  when  some  one 
said,  c  It  is  the  man,  you  know,  who  screamed  so,'  the  poor 
•wife  was  certain  about  him.  ITo  had  boon  crazy  boforo  tho 
war,  but  not  for  two  years,  now,  she  said.  Tie  had  been 
fretting  for  home  sinco  he  was  hurt,  and  when  tho  doctor 
told  him  there  was  110  chance  of  being  sent  thoro,  ho  lost 
heart,  aud  wrote  to  his  wife  to  come  and  carry  him  away. 
It  seemed  almost  hopeless  for  two  lone  women,  who  had 
never  been  out  of  their  own  little  town,  to  succeed  in  find 
ing  a  soldier  among  so  many,  sent  in  so  many  different 
directions  ;  but  we  helped  them  as  wo  could,  and  started 
them  ou  their  journey  tho  next  morning,  back  on  their 
track,  to  use  their  common  sense  and  Yankee  privilege  of 
questioning. 

w  A  week  after,  Mrs.  had  a  letter,  full   of  gratitude, 

and  saying  that  tho  husband  was  found  and  secured  for 
home.  That  same  night  wo  had  in  our  tents  two  fathers, 
with  their  wounded  sons,  and  a  nice  old  German  mother 
with  her  boy.  She  had  come  in  from  "Wisconsin,  and 
brought  with  her  a  patch-work  bed-quilt  for  her  son,  think 
ing-  he  might  have  lost  his  blanket ;  and  there  ho  lay,  all 


WHAT    WE    DID    AT    GETTY8BURO.  145 

covered  up  in  his  quilt,  looking  so  home-like,  and  fooling 
so  too,  no  doubt,  with  his  good  old  mother  close  at  his  side. 
She  seemed  bright  and  happy  —  had  three  sous  in  the  army 
—  ono  had  been  killed,  this  ono  wounded — yet  she  was  so 
pleased  with  the  tents,  and  tho  caro  she  saw  tukcii  there  of 
tho  soldiers,  that  while  taking  her  tea  from  a  barrel-head 
as  table,  she  said,  '  Indeed,  if  sho  was  a  man,  she'd  bo  a 
soldier  too,  right  off.' 

"  For  this  temporary  sheltering  and  feeding  of  all  these 
wounded  men  government  could  make  no  provision. 
There  was  nothing  for  them,  if  too  lato  for  tho  cars, 
except  tho  open  field  and  hungor,  in  preparation  for  their 
fatiguing  journey.  It  is  expected,  when  the  cars  are  ready, 
that  the  men  will  be  promptly  sent  to  meet  them  ;  and  gov 
ernment  cannot  provide  for  mistakes  and  delays  ;  so  that, 
but  for  the  Sanitary  Commission's  Lodge  and  comfortable 
supplies,  for  which  the  wounded  are  indebted  to  tho  hard 
workers  at  homo,  moil  badly  hurt  must  have  suffered  night 
and  day  whilo  waiting  for  tho  f  next  train.'  \Vo  had,  on  an 
average,  sixty  of  such  mon  each  night,  for  three  weeks, 
under  our  care ;  sometimes  0110  hundred,  sometimes  only 
thirty;  and  with  tho  'delegation,'  and  the  help  of  other 
gentlemen  volunteers,  who  all  worked  devotedly  for  tho 
men,  tho  whole  thing  was  a  great  success  ;  and  you,  and 
all  of  us,  can't  help  boiug  thankful  that  we  had  a  share, 
however  small,  in.  making  it  so.  Sixteen  thousand  good 
meals  wore  given,  hundreds  of  men  kept  through  tho  day, 
and  twelve  hundred  sheltered  at  night,  their  wounds 
dressed,  their  supper  and  breakfast  secured,  rebels  and  all. 
You  will  not,  I  am  sure,  regret  that  these  moat  wretched 
10 


146  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

men,  these  '  enemies, '  'sick  and  in  prison,'  wore  helped  and 
cared  for  through  your  supplies,  though  certaiuly  they 
were  not  in  your  minds  when  you.  packed  your  barrels  and 
boxes.  Tho  clothing  wo  reserved  for  our  own  men,  except, 
now  and  then,  when  a  shivering  rebel  needed  it ;  but  in 
feeding  them,  we  could  make  no  distinction.  It  was 
curious  to  see,  among  our  workers  at  the  Lodge,  the 
disgust  and  horror  felt  for  rebels  giving  place  to  the 
kindest  feeling  for  wounded  men. 

"  Our  three  weeks  were  coming  to  an.  end  ;  the  work  of 
transporting  the  wounded  was  nearly  over  ;  twico  daily  wo 
had  filled  and  emptied  our  tents,  and  twico  fed  the  trains 
before  the  long  journey.  The  men  came  in  slowly  at  the 
last,  a  lieutenant,  all  the  way  from  Oregon,  being  among 
the  very  latest.  He  came  down  from  the  corps  hospitals 
(now  greatly  improved) ,  having  lost  one  foot,  poor  follow, 
dressed  in  a  full  suit  of  the  Commission's  cotton  clothes, 
just  as  bright  and  as  cheerful  as  the  first  man,  uud  all  the  men 
that  we  received,  had  been.  "Wo  never  heard  a  complaint. 
'Would  ho  like  a  little  nice  soup?'  '  Well,  no,  thank  you, 
ma'am ;  *  hesitating  and  polite.  '  You  have  a  long  rido 
before  you,  and  had  better  take  a  little  ;  I'll  just  bring  it, 
and  you  can  try.'  So  the  good-  thick  soup  came.  lie  took 
a  very  little  in  the  spoon  to  please  mo,  and  afterwards  the 
whole  cupful  to  please  himself.  Ho  '  did  not  think  it  was 
this  kind  of  soup  I  meant.  He  had  some  in  camp,  and  did 
not  think  he  cared  for  any  more  ;  his  "  cook  "  was  a  very 
small  boy,  though,  who  just  put  some  meat  in  a  little  water, 
and  stirred  it  round.'  '  Would  you  like  a  handkerchief? ' 
and  I  produced  our  last  one,  with  a  hem  and  cologne  too. 


WHAT  WE  r>n>  AT  GETTYSBUHQ.  147 

*O,  yes  ;  that  is  what  I  need;  I  have  lost  mine,  and  was 
just  borrowing*  this  gentleman's.'  So  the  lieutenant,  the 
last  man,  was  made  comfortable,  thanks  to  all  of  you, 
though  ho  had  but  ono  foot  to  carry  him  on  his  long  journoy 
homo. 

"Four  thousand  soldiers,  too  badly  hurt  to  bo  moved, 
were  still  left  in  Gettysburg,  cared  for  kindly  and  well  at 
the  large,  new  government  hospital,  with  a  Sanitary  Com 
mission  attachment.  Our  work  was  over,  our  tents  wero 
struck,  and  we  came  away,  after  a  flourish  of  trumpets 
from  two  military  bands,  -who  filed  down  to  our  door,  and 
gave  us  a  farewell  —  'Red,  white,  and  blue.'  " 


MRS.   MARY    W.   LEE. 

fM  \H_lS  name  will  recall  to  the  minds  of  ten  thousands 
JL  of  our  brave  soldiers  who  fought  in  the  army  of  tho 
Potomac  tho  face  and  the  figure  of  a  cheerful,  active, 
efficient,  yet  tender-hearted  woman,  herself  the  mother  of 
a  soldier  boy,  who  for  month  after  month,  and  year  after 
year,  while  the  war  continued,  moved  about  the  hospitals 
of  the  army  a  blessing,  a  comfort,  and  a  hopo  to  thousands 
of  weary  sufferers. 

She  came  to  America  from  Great  Britain  when  a  mere 
child,  and  grew  up  with  intense  national  pride  and  loyalty 
to  the  government  -which  has  given  an  asylum  and  oppor 
tunity  to  so  many  millions. 

Her  first  efforts  in  behalf  of  the  soldiers  in  our  great 
war  wore  in  tho  hospital  of  the  Union  Refreshment  Saloon, 
in  Philadelphia.  Hero  she  labored  with  constancy  and  zeal 
during  the  greater  part  of  the  first  year  of  hostilities ;  but 
when  tho  conilict  assumed  the  serious  and  bloody  pro 
portions  that  we  saw  in  the  summer  of  1862,  Mrs.  Lee  felt 
that  she  could  do  more  good  nearer  the  field  of  action.  In 
'August  opportunity  favored  her,  and  ahe  went  down  to 
Harrison's  Landing  on  the  Spaulding,  a  hospital  transport, 
and  there,  with  others,  she  found  that  enterprising  and 
indefatigable  army  worker,  Mrs.  Harris,  with  whom  she 

CH8) 


HBS.    MARY    W.    LEE.  149 

gladly  cooperated,  in  the  arduous  duties  and  melancholy 
scenes  that  attended  the  disastrous  finale  of  the  Peninsular 
campaign. 

No  sooner  was  tho  mutilated  wreck  of  that  grand  army 
brought  away  from  tho  sickly  bottoms  of  James  River, 
than  all  fit  for  service,  and  thousands  of  new  recruits,  were 
pushed  forward  in  tho  rolcntlcss  and  deadly  campaign 
which  ended  in  disaster  and  repulse  for  the  rebels  at 
Antietam.  In  this  great  battle  Mrs.  Leo  was  one  of  the 
first  on  tho  field  ;  and  her  labors,  commencing1  among1  the 
first  wounded,  continued,  without  weariness  or  abatement, 
till  the  last  poor,  mutilated  hero  of  the  w  crutch  brigade  " 
was  moved  from  the  general  hospital  late  in  December.  .- 

Although  it  was  her  first  experience  in  a  great  battle, 
Mrs.  Lee  prepared  for  the  awful  scenes  that  were  to  follow 
with  the  coolness  and  judgment  of  a  veteran.  She  had  two 
large  buckets  filled  with  water,  ono  for  washing  wounds, 
the  other  for  quenching  thirst.  As  tho  action  grew  hot, 
the  first  tub  grew  of  a  deeper  and  deeper  crimson,  till  it 
seemed  almost  as  red  as  blood  itself;  and  the  other  was 
again  and  again  replenished,  as  tho  men  came  in  with  faces 
black  with  powder,  and  clothes  stiff"  with  gore.  The  hunger, 
too,  in  many  cases,  was  clamorous.  Many  of  the  men  had 
eaten  nothing  for  more  than  twenty-four  hours.  Mrs.  Leo 
found  a  sutler,  who,  with  enterprise  that  would  have  been 
becoming  in  anything  less  purely  selfish,  had  urged  his 
wagon  well  to  the  front,  and  was  selling  at  exorbitant 
rates  to  the  exhausted  men.  She  took  money  from  her 
private  purse,  and  again  and  again  bought  his  broad  and. 
soft  crackers  at  his  army  rates.  At  last  such  repeated 


150  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAB. 

proofs  of  generosity  touched  the  heart  of  the  army  Shylock, 
and  he  was  determined  not  to  be* outdone  so  entirely  by  a 
woman.  About  the  third  or  fourth  time  she  pulled  out  her 
purse  he  exclaimed,  *'  Great  God,  I  cant  stand  this  any 
longer.  Give  that  woman  the  broad  !  "  The  ice  was  now 
broken,  and  from  giving  to  her,  he  began  to  givo  away, 
himself,  till  his  last  cracker  had  gone  down  the  throat  of  a 
half-famished  hero,  and  ho  drove  away  with  his  wagon 
lighter  and  his  heart  softer  for  having  met  a  noble-hearted 
woman. 

Wliile  she  was  thus  working  just  in  the  rear  of  tho  awful 
thunder,  Sedgwick  wus  brought  to  the  rear,  with  his  severe 
wound,  and  then  Hooker,  with  his  bleeding  limb. 

Airs.  Leo  was  probably  nearer  the  front  than  any  other 
woman  on  tho  day  of-  the  battle,  and  certainly  much  nearer 
than  the  commander-m-chief  himself. 

Among  the  fatally  wounded  was  one  named  Adams,  from 
the  Nineteenth  Massachusetts,  whoso  brother  brought  him 
to  Mrs.  LOG,  and  said,  "  My  good  lady,  my  brother  here 
will  die,  I  think;  the  regiment  is  ordered  to  Harper's 
Ferry.  Will  you  promise  to  look  after  him,  and  when  he 
dies,  to  see  that  he  is  decently  buried,  and  mark  the  spot, 
so  I  can  find  his  body  and  take  it  on  to  our  home  in  Mas 
sachusetts?"  Mrs.  Lee  promised  tho  heavy-hearted  soldier 
that  all  hia  'wishes  should  be  respected  ;  and  he  buckled  on 
his  sword  and  marched  back  to  the  front.  A  few  days 
after,  he  sought  out  Mrs.  Leo,  and  she  gave  him  a  full 
account  of  the  last  hours  of  his  brother  and  his  dying 
words  ;  and  then  taking  Hinn  out  among  the  thick  and  fresh- 
heaped  mounds,  pointed  out  a  grave  better  rounded  than 


MBS.     MARY    W.     LEE. 

the  rest,  and  distinctly  marked,  and  told  him  his  brother 
\vas  hurled  there ;  and  so  ho  found  it.  Such  was  her 
fidelity  and  perfect  reliability  at  all  times  and  in  all  trusts 
committed  to  her. 

Immediately  after  the  battle  there  was  that  confusion 
and  delay  in  the  supply  trains  inevitable  in  tho  boat-con 
ducted  army  at  the  time  of  a  great  action.  .At  one  of 
tho  field  hospitals  where  Mrs.  Lee  was  doing  the  best  she 
could  for  the  crowd  of  sufferers,  there  Avas  found  nothing 
in  tho  way  of  commissary  supplies  but  a  barrel  of  flour,  a 
barrel  of  apples,  and  a  keg  of  lard.  To  a  practical  house 
keeper,  as  sho  is,  this  combination  seemed  to  point  to 
apple  dumplings  aa  tho  dish  in  which  they  could  all  bo 
employed  to  tho  best  advantage  ;  and  tho  good-natured 
astonishment  of  the  poor  follows,  who  looked  for  nothing 
but  black  coffee  and  hard-tack,  was  merged  in  admira 
tion  for  tho  accomplished  cook  who  could  there,  almost 
on  tho  battle-field,  servo  them  with  hot  dumplings. 

AVhilo  tho  battle  was  etill  raging,  and  orderlies  wero 
galloping  past  whore  Mrs.  Leo  was  at  work,  sho  asked  one 
of  them  if  Sumner's  corps  were  yet  engaged.  "Yes,'*  was 
tho  reply  ;  "  they  have  just  been,  double-quicked  into  the 
fight."  For  a  few  moments  her  heart  sank  within  her,  and 
she  grow  sick,  for  her  son  was  in  that  corps,  and  all  her 
acquaintances  in  tho  army.  Her  anguish  found  relief  in 
prayer ;  after  which  she  grew  so  calm  and  cheerful  that 
a  wounded  boy,  who  lay  thero  on  the  grass  beside  her,  said, 
**  Madam,  I  suppose  you  haven't  any  one  in  the  battle,  or 
you  couldn't  bo  so  calm." 

The  night  after  the  battle  she  -went  to  Sedgwick's  division 


152  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAB. 

hospital,  and  while  preparing  some  food  for  tho  sufferers, 
was  greatly  annoy qd  by  some  worthless  camp-followers, 
who  would  not  carry  food  to  the  wounded,  and  when  she 
left  to  carry  it,  they  stole  everything  she  had  cooked.  She 
went  up  stairs,  where  most  of  tho  wounded  were,  and  asked 
if  any  one  was  there  who  had  sufficient  authority  to  detail 
her  a  guard.  A  pleasant  voice  from  ouo  of  tho  cots, 
where  an  officer  lay  bleeding,  said,  "I  believe  I  have. 
Just  tuko  tho  first  man  you  can  find,  and  put  a  guu  in  his 
hand."  It  was  General  John  Sedgwiok  j  aud  sho  had  uo 
more  annoyance  from,  camp  thieves. 

In  a  day  or  two  after  tho  battle  she  went,  with  Mrs. 
General  Barlow,  in  an  ambulance,  to  see  if  some  poor  fellow 
had  not  been  overlooked  on  tho  field.  They  found  two 
boys  in  a  deserted  cabin,  who  had  never  had  their  wounds 
dressed,  and  had  been  living  on  a  few  crackers  and  water. 
They  were,  of  course,  brought  in,  and  tenderly  cared  for. 
^Mrs.  Lee  was  very  much  interested  in  a  very  brave  little 
fellow,  from  Company  B, Seventy-second  Pennsylvania  vol 
unteers,  named  Willie  Morrow.  Ho  had  fought  all  day 
with  uncommon  bravery,  acting  as  a  sharpshooter.  He 
and  his  companion,  at  one  time,  come  marching  in  six  rebel 
prisoners,  captured  by  only  those  two,  and  Willie  was  tho 
smallest  boy  in  tho  regiment.  As  he  was  going  back  to  the 
front,  a  cannon  ball  hit  him,  and  carried  off  both  his  legs. 
\Vhen  brought  to  tho  rear,  he  asked  the  surgeon  if  there 
was  any  hope  of  his  getting  over  it.  "  No,  Willie,  there  is 
no  hope,"  said  tho  doctor.  Turning  to  hia  companions,  he 

said,  "Tell  them  at  home    that  I  died  hap^y, that  I  -was 

glad  to  give  my  life  for  my  country."     The  blood  continued 


MBS.     MARY    W.     LELE.  153 

to  run  from  the  severed  arteries,  and  ho  grew  weaker. 
"  Tell  them  I  died  happy,"  were  his  last  words  ;  and  in  death 
his  pale  young  faco  wore  a  smile. 

Not  long  after  the  battle,  all  the  field  and  regimental 
hospitals  were  merged  into  one  general  hospital  at  Smoko- 
towii ;  and  here  Mrs.  Leo  was  aided  by  a  noble  and  efficient 
corps  of  army  workers  —  Miss  Maria  Hall,  Mrs.  Barlow, 
Mrs.  Husband,  Mrs.  Harris,  and  others,  most  of  whom 
labored  through  tho  war,  and  onjoyod  the  utmost  confidence 
of  tho  surgeons  and  all  who  observed  tho  superior  charac 
ter  and  spirit  of  their  work. 

During  the  fall  many  touching  instances  of  noble  youths 
dying  of  their  wounds,  and  making  tho  last  sacrifice  for 
their  country,  occurred  among  those  daily  visited  by  Mrs. 
Leo.  Among  others  was  the  case  of  Henry  Colo,  of  tho 
Nineteenth  Massachusetts.  Ho  had  been  wounded  in  tho 
leg,  and  strong  hopes  were  entertained  that  ho  might  re 
cover.  His  mother  came  on  from  Massachusetts  to  nurse 
him.  Ho  was  her  only  child.  As  she  bent  over  his  cot. 
and  saw  him  gradually  becoming  weaker  and  more  pallid, 
tears  fell  fast  on  tho  coverlet,  and  she  would  exclaim,  "  O, 
if  money  could  restore  you,  I'd  gladly  give  all  I  have  iu 
this  world." 

He  was  a  Christian,  and  a  well-educated  young  gentle 
man  ;  everything  that  a  mother's  heart,  in  its  pride  and  its 
unfathomable  love  could  hope  for  in  a  son.  "  O  Henry, 
my  son,"  she  would  say,  amid  her  tears,  "  when  you  aro 
goue,  my  light  Is  gone  out.  I'vo  nothing  to  live  for." 

"Mother,**  ho  would  answer,  '*  I  am  only  going  a  littlo 
while  before  you  ;  we  shall  meet  a^aiir-"  Then,  just  before 


154  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAS. 

he  died,  repeating  these  farewells,  he  added,  **  Tell  all  the 
boys  good- by  for  me,  and  tell  them  neve?  to  give  up  our 
noble  cause." 

This  hospital  was  blessed  with  tho  attendance  and  service 
of  a  superior  surgeon-general  in  Dr.  Vanderkieft,  and  a 
most  excellent  and  praiseworthy  chaplain  in  Rev.  Mr. 
Sloan.  Hardly  a  soldier  in  tho  Smoketowii  Hospital  but 
loved  him  as  a  brother.  Many  a  face  tortured  with  pain 
grew  smooth  when  his  cheerful  countenance  entered 
the  tent. 

AVheu  the  hospital  was  fully  established,  the  tents  -were 
divided  between  Mrs.  Husband,  Miss  Hall,  and  Mrs.  Lee  ; 
and  their  labors,  thus  systematic  and  persistent,  con 
tinued  till  some  time  in  December,  when  tho  wouuded  at 
Fredericksburg  demanded  attention. 

Among  Mrs.  Lee's  patients  was  one  poor  fellow  who  was 
so  weak  and  reducqd  that  no  food  would  remain  in  his 
stomach.  She  tried  every  dish  for  which  the  hospital  sup 
plies  afforded  materials,  but  without  reaching  his  case. 
One  day,  in  overhauling  some  stores,  she  discovered  a  bag 
of  Indian  meal.  n  O,  I've  found  a  pruso  !  "  sho  exclaimed. 
"What  is  it?"  asked  tho  little  fellow,  who  had  been  detailed 
to  act  as  her  orderly.  "Indian  meal,  to  bo  sure."  "Pshaw  ! 
I  thought  you  had  found  a  bag  of  dollars."  "Better  than 
dollars  now,"  was  her  reply,  as  she  hurried  away  to  the 
tent  where  her  poor  patient  lay. 

"Sandbura,"  said  she,  "could  you  eat  some  mush?" 
w  Don't  know  what  that  is  —  don't  like  any  of  your  fancy 
dishes."  A  boy  on  the  next  cot  said,  u  Why,  if  a  pudding 
and  milk." 


MRS.     MARY-    W.     T.TVP!.  155 

"  O,  yea,"  said  the  starving  soldier,  "I  could  eat  a 
bucketful  of  that !  "  She  made  him  some,  and  brought  it 
to  him  in  a  cup  with  milk,  sweet  milk,  and  it  agreed  with 
him.  Then  he  ate  it  throe  times  a  day,  and  soon  could 
take  with  it  a  little  broiled  squab,  and  began  to  gain 
strength  very  fast.  The  discovery  of  that  little  sack  of 
corn  meal  had  saved  his  life. 

The  religious  exorcises  at  this  hospital  were  often  deeply 
interesting.  Mr.  Sloan  was  as  much  respected  for  pioty  as 
ho  was  beloved  for  his  kindness.  Miss  Hall  commonly  led 
the  singing ;  and  many  a  touching,  fervent,  and  whole- 
souled  prayer  for  the  Union  and  the  army  was  offered  by 
mon  who  would  hobblo  in  on  crutches.  Tho  more  they 
suffered  in  the  cause,  the  more  they  loved  it. 

While  thus  occupied  at  Ant ie tarn,  Mrs.  Lee  heard  with 
alarm  of  the  great  explosion  of  powder  at  Harper's  Ferry, 
by  which  so  many  of  the  Seventy-second  Pennsylvania  were 
killed  or  wounded.  Her  son  was  in  that  regiment.  She 
hurried  up  there,  and  labored  some  time  among  those  suf 
ferers,  compounding  for  their  burns  a  salve  that  was  found 
very  grateful  and  healing.  Hor  boy  was  fortunately  not 
injured  hi  the  explosion. 

From  Antietam  the  hospital  workers  next  went  to  Ful- 
mouth,  on  the  Happahaunock,  where  the  army  was  encamped, 
after  Burnside's  unfortunate  attack  at  Fredericksburg.  Upon 
leaving  Antietam,  Dr.  Vanderkieft  expressed  his  opinion  of 
the  character  and  worth  of  Mrs.  Lee,  and  her  labors  thoro, 
in  the  following  terms  :  — 

"  It  is  with  great  pleasure  that  I  bear  witness  to  the  in 
valuable  services  of  Mrs.  Lee  in  this  hospital.  She  knew 


156  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAR. 

no  rest  while  there  were  any  who  needed  her  assistance. 
Her  unwearied  activity  was  a  subject  of  universal  comment, 
among  officers  and  men,  and  hor  untiring  efforts  in  behalf 
of  patriots  have  won  the  love  and  esteem  of  all  to  whom, 
she  has  ministered.  I  commend  Mrs.  Leo  to  the  highest 
position  that  a  noble  and  Christian  woman  con  fill." 

Chaplain  Sloan,  also,  in  a  letter  from  Antiotam,  in  which 
he  speaks  of  the  workers  there,  says  of  Mrs.  Leo  :  "  None 
of  the  newspaper  notices  tell  half  the  story  of  her  good 
works.  Many  a  poor  boy,  that  suffered  here,  will  long 
remember  her  kindness.  She  labored  harder,  and  did 
more  to  alleviate  the  pains  and  sufferings  of  the  wounded 
at  Aiitietam  than  any  three  others." 

This  describes  her  labors  at  the  Falmouth  hospitals,  and 
all  the  others  with  which  she  was  connected  during  tho 
three  years  of  her  army  life.  She  was  regular,  persistent, 
thorough,  and  obedient  to  the  surgeons  in  all  she  did,  and 
all  she  gave  to  the  soldiers.  Her  wards  were  always  found 
in  perfect  order,  and  well  supplied.  For  a  great  part  of 
tho  time  she  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  light  diet  and 
special  diet  department,  whore  her  duties  were  laborious, 
and  often  vexatious. 

Tho  rickety  old  stove  upon  which  she  prepared  her  food 
for  tho  sick  was  often  in  a  wretched  condition.  When  set 
up  111  a  tout  it  generally  smoked,  and  fuel  was  not  always 
abundant,  or  of  a  good  quality.  Notwithstanding  all  these 
diacouragementa,  her  temper  was  always  cheerful,  hor 
health  perfect,  and  her  duty  performed  with  thoroughness 
and  punctuality. 

After  a  temporary  absence  from  Falmouth,  with  her  sick 


MT13.     MABT    W.    LEE.  157 

son,  in  March,  she   returned,  and   was    on   duty   among  the 
-wounded  at  Chancellors villo. 

Sho  was  at  the  Lacey  House  Hospital,  and  had  a  full  view 
of  tho  storming  of  Mayre's  Heights,  by  Sedgwick's  corps, 
on  tho  2d  of  May. 

"WTien  that  fierce  engagement  was  at  its  height,  tho  men 
that  had  been  wounded  in  the  skirmishes  of  the  days 
previous  all  dragged  themselves  to  tho  galleries  and  ter 
races  of  tho  house,  Mrs.  Lee  helping  them,  iiud  watched 
tho  conflict  with  eager  forgetful  ness  of  their  own  sufferings. 
When  at  length  Sedgwick,  and  tho  bravo  Sixth  corps,  after 
two  repulses,  made  tho  final  and  triumphant  charge,  sweep 
ing  over  tho  battlements  from  which  Burnsido  had  been  so 
terribly  repulsed  in  December,  everybody  that  had  a  well 
arm  raised  it,  with  ringing  cheers,  over  his  head,  and 
shouted,  till  their  bravo  companions  on  tho  other  side  heard 
and  answered  back  their  triumph.  Mrs.  Leo  stood  by  her 
littlo  cooking  tent,  wiping  dishes,  and  joined  in  tho  general 
delight  by  waving  her  towel,  as  a  flag,  and  shouting  with 
tho  rest.  Sho  did  inoro  than  this.  She  fell  upon  her 
knees,  and  thanked  God  that  those  formidable  lines,  from 
which  tho  Union  forces  had  boon  so  often  repulsed  with 
frightful  carnage,  Avero  at  last  carried,  and  tho  national  flag 
waved  in  triumph  over  them. 

But  tho  eight  thousand  wounded  that  came  pouring 
across  tho  Rappahannock  soon  engrossed  tho  attention  of 
every  one  who  coidd  do  anything  for  their  relief,  and  -Mrs. 
Leo,  with  the  other  ladies,  labored  all  day,  and  a  consid 
erable  part  of  each  night,  striving  to  mitigate  eomo  of  tho 
accumulated  suffering  and  pain. 


158  W<^>MEN    OP    THE    WAR. 

Some  of  her  patients  at  the  w  Lacey  House "  interested 
Mrs.  Lee  very  deeply.  One,  Frederick:  Allen,  from  Ken 
dall's  Mills,  was  very  sick  with  typhoid  pneumonia,  and  the 
doctor  ordered  stimulants.  Frederick  refused  to  take  any 
thing  containing  alcohol,  saying  ho  had  given  his  mother  a 
solemn  promise  that  ho  would  not  take  any  while  in  the 
army.  No  inducement  could  prevail,  until  his  father  came 
down,  and  told  him  his  mother  released  him  from,  his 
promise,  as  she  knew  it  was  to  save  his  life.  Ho  recovered 
health,  and  was  in  all  the  battles  with  his  regiment.  At 
Bristow  Station  ho  was  color  guard,  and  the  regiment  cap 
tured  several  guns.  In  the  battle  of  the  "Wilderness  he 
•was  wounded  slightly  in.  the  arm,  and  went  to  the  rear,  but 
returned  very  soon,  and  received  a  severe  wound  in^  the 
head,  and  was  disabled  for  several  weeks.  Returning  to 
his  regiment,  ho  fought  around  Petersburg,  till  again 
attacked  by  typhoid  pneumonia,  of  which  ho  died  only  a 
few  days  before  Lee's  surrender  —  a  brave  and  noble  youth 
as- ever  shouldered  arms;  a  soldier  of  the  Cross  no  less 
than  of  tho  starry  flag. 

Mr.  Allen  and  his  family  became  greatly  attached  to  Mrs. 
Lee  on  account  of  her  kindness  to  Frederick  and  other 
soldiers.  Upon  his  return  home,  he  begged  of  Miss 
Amanda  Leo  tho  photograph  of  her  mother,  and  acknowl 
edged  the  receipt  of  it  in  the  following  terms  :  — 

"  I  cau  think  of  no  better  title  than  friend  to  address  you 
by,  for  it  seems  to  me  that  one  having  so  good  a  mother  as 
you  have  must  be  a  friend  to  God  and  humanity. 

"  But  to  the  question  of  your  mother's  picture  ;  wo  re 
ceived  it  the  next  day  after  it  was  mailed ;  it  did  not  stop  in 


MBS.     MART    W.     LEE.  159 

Massachusetts  at  all.  The  postmaster  had  written  under 
Maes.,  c  Troy,  Maine,'  and  it  caino  right  along  ;  and  a  beau 
tiful  picture  it  is,  too.  Wo  have  got  a  nice  oval  frame  for 
it,  and  then  wo  had  her  mime  and  residence  printed  at  the 
bottom  of  the  picture  ;  and  I  toll  you  it  is  a  splendid  thing. 
Then  wo  have  hung  it  in  the  centre  of  the  mantel  piece,  with 
a  soldier  boy  on  each  side,  and  our  own  dear  son,  Fred, 
in  the  middle ;  and,  as  they  are  arranged,  your  mother 
seems  to  bo  watching  over  thorn,  as  I  havo  seen  her  in  tho 
hospital,  on  the  Happahannock.  I  wish  you  could  step  in 
and  see  them  thus  arranged  :  you  might  woll  feel  proud  of 
your  mother." 

Mrs.  Leo  was  at  Gettysburg  as  soon  as  the  cannon  smoke 
had  cleared  away  from  tho  blood-stained  hill-side,  and 
labored  in  tho  Second  corps  hospital,  and  also  at  Letter- 
man  General  Hospital,  for  three  months  following  the 
great  battle. 

One  of  tho  patients  who  died  here,  on  her  hands,  was 
Aaron  Wills,  color  corporal  in  the  Seventy-second  Pennsyl 
vania  volunteers,  tho  regiment  in  which  her  son  was  serving. 
-A.  ball  struck  tho  flagstaff,  and  shattered  it,  Aaron  wrapped 
the  flag  around  his  arm,  and  shouted,  "  Don't  let  the  colors 
fall,  boys  !  "  The  next  moment  a  ball  struck  him  in  a  vital 
part,  and  ho  fell,  yet  held  the  flag  up  so  that  it  would  not 
touch  tho  ground,  till  it  was  taken  from  his  faithful  huiulo, 
and  carried  on  at  tho  head  of  tho  regiment. 

A  year  after,  on  tho  anniversary  of  his  son's  death,  tho 
father  of  Aaron  Wills  wrote  an  affecting  letter  to  Mrs. 
Lee.  "To-day,"  he  says,  "I  walked  out  to  tho  cemetery, 
to  look  at  the  little  mound  that  covers  the  remains  of  my 


160  I    WOMEN    OP    THE    WAB. 

beloved  boy.  As  I  looked,  the  words  of  his  last  letter, 
those  blessed  words,  came  into  my  mind  :  'Father,  do  not 
worry  at  my  being  in  a  dangerous  position.  J.  believe,  as 
you  say,  I  can  die  in  no  nobler  cause  ;  and,  to  tell  you  the 
truth,  I  would  as  soon  die  ou  the  battle-field  as  T  would  a 
natural  death.'  He  need  not  have  said,  '  to  tell  you  the 
truth,'  for  Tie  never  told  a  lie" 

Ono  of  her  most  valued  reminiscences  of  Gettysburg  is  a 
letter  of  thanks,  drawn  up  and  numerously  signed  by  the 
boys  in  whose  word  she  had  acted  as  nurso.  They  say,  — 


.  LEE. 

r>ear  Madam  :  We  now  hasten  to  express  to  you  our 
thanks  for  the  numerous  luxuries  and  kind  services  we 
have  received  from  you,  as  from,  the  hands  of  our  own 
kind  mothers,  for  which  we  shall  ever  feel  gratefu]  to  you. 

"While  endeavoring  to  meet  the  urgent  colls  of  our 
wronged  country,  we  had  the  misfortune  to  be  wounded  far 
from  home,  and,  as  we  thought,  from  friends.  Here  wo 
have  found  your  kind  hand  to  care  for  us,  and  alleviate  our 
wants  as  much  as  possible.  "Wo  shall  ever  feel  grateful  to 
you  for  such  motherly  care  as  can  never  be  forgotten  ;  and 
besides  the  thousand  thanks  bestowed  on  you,  the  God  of 
our  country  will  ever  bless  you  -with  a  special  blessing  -  if 
not  now,  surely  you  will  receive  it  hereafter. 

This  testimonial  was  signed  by  a  large  number  in  Ward 
B,  Sixth  division,  General  Hospital,  Gettysburg. 

Sickness  in  the  family  of  Mr;-..  Leo  detained  her  at  homo 
during  a  part  of  the  winter  of  1863—64  ;  but  she  went 


MRS.     MART    W.     LEE.  161 

down  to  Brandy  Station,  which  was  the  hospital  centre  of 
Meade's  army,  in  January,  February,  and  March,  1864.     * 

Here  she  was  connected  with  the  hospital  of  the  Second 
division,  Second  corps,  where  were  the  wounded  nt  the 
action  of  Morton's  Ford. 

Here  she  found  Dr.  Sawyer  and  Dr.  Aiken,  two  physi 
cians,  who,  for  kindness  and  self-sacrificing  devotion  to  the 
health,  cheerfulness,  and  comfort  of  the  soldier,  had  no 
superiors  in  the  army  of  the  Potomac.  With  such  efficient 
aid  in  the  nursing  department  as  was  rendered  by  such 
ladies  as  Mrs.  Husband  and  Mrs.  Lee,  this  General  Hospital 
soon  became  the  model  for  all  the  army.  For  cleanliness, 
order,  cheerfulness,  and  the  home-like  air  which  surrounded 
it,  no  corps  hospital  was  equal  to  it. 

One  of  tho  boys,  under  Mrs.  Leo's  care,  received  a  letter 
from  his  mother,  saying  that  she  was  coming  to  see  him,  and 
asking  what  supplies  and  luxuries  she  had  better  bring  with 
her.  "  Bring  nothing  but  yourself,  mother,"  was  his  reply  • 
"  this  is  not  a  hospital ;  it  is  a  home." 

About  the  middle  of  April,  just  before  Grant's  advance, 
Mrs.  Lee  returned  home  for  a  few  days.  But  no  sooner  had 
he  moved  in  the  first  days  of  May,  than  he  found  obstinate 
resistance  from  the  rebel  leader,  and  the  great  battles 
of  the  Wilderness  and  Spottsylvania  were  fought.  The 
engagement  commenced  on  the  5th,  and  was  continued  till 
tho  12th  of  May,  Grant  being  "determined  to  fight  it  out 
on  that  line,  if  it  took  all  summer." 

There  was,    of  course,  a  vast  number  of  wounded,  and 
the  demand    for  hospital  workers  was  never  more  urgent 
than   during  the   months   of  May  and  June,   1864.     Mrs. 
11 


1G2  WOMEN"    OP    THE    WAB. 

Lee  made  her  way  to  Fredericksburg,  and  'found  that  war- 
battered  old  town  one  vast  hospital.  The  first  and  great 
clamor  was  for  food.  Transportation  from  Belle  Plain  was 
slow,  on  account  of  the  fearful  condition  of  the  roads  ;  and 
though  the  enemy  was  crippled  and  falling  slowly  back  to 
Richmond,  and  ITrcdericksburg  is  only  a  day's  ride  from 
"Washington,  thousands  and  thousands  of  our  men.  suffered 
constantly  from  hunger.  Upon  Mrs.  Lee's  arrival,  Dr.  Ban 
nister  gave  her  the  charge  of  the  special  diet  of  tho  Second 
corps.  The  kitchen  furniture  with  which  she  was  supplied 
consisted  of  one  small  tin  cup,  and  there  was  no  source 
from  which  the  proper  utensils  could  be  obtained.  Mrs. 
Leo  remembered,  however,  that  the  year  before,  Mrs. 
Harris,  at  the  Liacey  House,  on  the  other  side  of  the  Rap  pa- 
bannock,  had  left;  a  cooking  stove,  which  might  be  there 
yet.  Obtaining  an  ambulance,  and  going  over  on  tho  pon 
toon,  she  found  the  old  stove,  dilapidated,  indeed,  and 
rusty  3  but  she  could  make  gruel  and  panada  on  it.  She 
found  some  old  kettles,  too,  "which  she  took  over,  and 
scoured  up,  so  that  in  a  few  hours  a  kitchen  had  been  ex 
temporized.  The  boys  broke  up  clapboards  and  pickets 
for  fuel,  and  soon  the  buckets  of  gruel,  tea,  and  coffee,  and 
bowls  of  chicken  soup,  began  to  circulate  among  the  famish 
ing  heroes.  As  long  as  she  remained  in  Fredericksburg, 
and,  in  fact,  all  that  summer,  from  daylight  till  long  after 
the  nine  o'clock  drum-taps,  she  did  little  but  cook,  cook, 
cook.  Sometimes,  just  as  the  hospital  had  become  com 
posed  for  the  night,  and  the  old  campaign  stove  had  grown 
cool  for  the  first  time  in  eighteen  hours,  an  'immense  train 
of  ambulances  would  come  rolling  in  from  the  front,  all 


MHS.     MARY    W.    UEE.  163 

loaded  down  with  men,  sick,  wounded,  dusty,  and  famish 
ing.  There  was  no'  other  way  but  to  rise,  and  work, 
perhaps,  till  long  past  midnight.  It  was  fortunate  that 
with  such  willingness  of  heart  and  such  skill,  nay,  such 
genius,  as  she  displayed  for  cooking  under  all  the  dis 
advantages  of  camp  life,  Mrs.  Leo  had  also  a.  robust  con 
stitution  and  excellent  health ;  otherwise  she  must  have 
broken  down  under  tho  long-continued  labors  and  sleep 
lessness  of  that  last  grand  campaign  against  Richmond. 

From  Frcdericksburg  she  went,  over  land,  to  White 
llouao  ;  and  thoro  Miss  Cornelia  Hancock,  of  New  Jersey, 
and  Mrs.  Leo  assisted  Dr.  Aiken  to  dress  the  wounds  and 
give  nourishment  to  a  long  train  of  tho  wounded  that  were 
placed  on  transports  and  carried  to  northern  hospitals. 
Remaining  here  some  days,  she  proceeded  next  to  City 
Point,  which  Grant  had  now  made  his  boso  of  supplies  and 
his  hospital  centre. 

For  some  time  the  accumulation  of  wounded  here  was  far 
greater  than  could  in  any  small  degree  bo  mode  comfort 
able.  Many  a  night  Mrs.  Lee  stood  by  the  fly  of  her  little 
kitchen  tent,  and  looked  upon  long  rows  of  helplesa  and 
bleeding  men  lying  on  the  ground,  sometimes  with  a.  little, 
straw  beneath  and  a  blanket  over  them,  all  waiting,  in  mute 
and  touching  patience,  for  their  turn  to  come  to  be  token  up 
and  cored  for;  At  night  such  rows  of  silent  sufferers,  lying 
there  in  the  moonlight,  looked  so  much  like  graves,  and 
summoned'  up,  in  a  heart  as  sympathetic  as  hers,  such 
troops  of  melancholy  thoughts,  that  she  could  not  look  at 
them  without  shedding  tears. 

At  City  Point,  among  the  wounded  from  Petersburg,  Mrs. 


164  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAB. 

Lee  had  some  noble-minded  and  heroic  men  as  her  hospital 
patients.  One  was  Major  William  F.  Smith,  of  the  First 
Delaware.  Wounded  severely  in  the  leg-,  he  suffered 
amputation,  and  death  followed.  Ho  had  been  severely 
wounded  at  ITredericksburg,  and  again  at  Gettysburg. 
When  urged  by  his  friends  to  expose  his  life  less  freely, 
"No,"  he  would  reply,  "I  am  no  better  than  any  other 
soldier."  They  urged  him  to  remember  how  much  it  would 
grieve  his  mother.  "  I  know  it,"  said  ho  ;  "  but  I  am  no 
better  than  any  other  mother's  son."  When  informed  that 
he  could  not  live,  he  thanked  the  doctors  for  the  pains  .they 
had  taken  with  his  case :  "  You  have  done  all  that  you 
could  for  me,  but  Providence  has  some  wise  end  in  view  in 
overruling  your  efforts."  His  last  words  to  hia  young 
brother  wore,  "Kiss  mother  for  mo,  Lee," 

Another,  who  sealed  his  devotion  with,  his  blood,  was 
Lieutenant-Colonel  John  A.  Crosby,  of  the  Sixty-first 
Pennsylvania  volunteers.  Ho  had.  entered  the  service  as 
orderly  sergeant,  was  badly  wounded  in  both  hips  at  Fred- 
cricksburg,  and  afterwards  lost  an  arm  fighting  before 
Washington,  in  Early's  last  invasion.  When  his  friends 
remonstrated  with  him  for  keeping  the  field  thus  mutilated, 
he  said,  "  My  country  has  had  my  arm.  She  is  welcome  to 
my  life."  Before  leaving  home  for  the  last  time,  he  bade  his 
wife  and  family  good  by,  telling  them  he  should  never  seo 
them  again  on  earth.  Those  who  knew  him  best,  say  that 
no  better  man  or  braver  soldier  ever  died  for  hia  country. 
He  fell  in  the  last  groat  battle  of  the  war  before  Petersburg, 
in  April,  1865. 

A  poor  German  boy  was  killed  at  the  same  time,  and  his 
heart-broken   mother   went  on    from  Baltimore  to   get  hia 


MRS.     MART    V.     I*EE.  165 

body.  Mrs.  Loo  gave  the  poor  woman  all  the  assistance 
in  her  power,  saw  the  dead  soldier  in  his  coffin,  and  sym 
pathized  with  the  mother. 

Upon  her  return,  and  after  the  burial,  Mrs.  Leo  received 
from  tho  mother  tho  following  letter,  which  is  all  tho 
more  interesting  for  its  honest  simplicity  as  well  as  its 
broken  English  : 

BALTIMORE,   April   19,    1865. 

HONORABLE  MRS.    M.   LEE  : 

After  I  left  City  Point  for  Baltimore  wish  my  dear  son, 
I  orrifet  safe  home,  only  wish  a  broken  hart,  on  tho  llth  in 
tho  morning.  Wo  cept  him  till  tho  12th  in  the  evening, 
and  took  him  up  to  Pansilvaniae,  to  hes  b rotor  and  sisters. 
Tho  15th,  in  tho  morning,  ho  arrifet  saf  at  bos  stat  of  rest. 
Rev.  E>.  Izenbury  atent  tho  funerl,  and  Bregt,  hes  text  John 
llth  and  llth,  and  a  groat  many  tears  has  being  shatt  for 
hem.  I  arrifet  at  My  homo  the  17th  in  tho  morning.  I 
am  so  troubelt  in  my  Mint  and  Week  that  I  could  not  rite, 
and  ask  for  barton  mo  and  oxcus  mo  for  not  ansern  zuner. 
My  humbel  dank  to  your  Virtues  and  faver  which  you 
showed  to  mo.  I  would  ask  your  Kindness,  if  you  pies. 
I  waso  so  trobelt  to  see  to  every  ting,  namely  my  Son  hat 
a  very  good  "Watch,  and  I  would  lik  to  have  that  for  Mem- 
bory,  pies,  and  ask  Mr.  Geo.  W.  Low,  Company  F.  190th 
Penn.  Vols.  Fifth  Core  Hospital  City  Point  Va.  My  Love  and 
best  Respect  to  Mrs.  Hart  and  Mrs.  Polk  and  Mrs.  Ashe. 

My  Love  and  best  Respect  to  you 

from  your  obedien  servent, 

PATJTJNK  BUSH. 

P.  S.  Ef  et  should  be  not  mutch  to  your  trobel  and  you 
can  com  tru  here,  gif  me  a  call. 


166  WO31EH   OF   THE    WAR. 

Among-  many  such  letters  received  by  Mrs.  Lee  during 
her  three  years  of  army  life,  the  following,  from  *  bereaved 
mother  in  No  TV  Hampshire,  cannot  be  read  by  any  mother 
who  lost  a  boy  in  the  army  without  unsealing  the  fountains 
of  old  grief. 

Forever  precioua  are  such  letters  —  consecrated  by  the 
sacred  baptism  of  tears  that  ooze  like  life-blood  from 
broken  hearts  ! 

WIKDIIAM,  May  8,  18G4. 
MY  DEAR  MRS.   LEE  : 

I  had  not  received  the  painful  intelligence  of  my  beloved 
son's  death  until  Friday  afternoon.  My  heart  is  filled  with 
sorrow  ;  my  grief  X  cannot  express.  You  have  a  beloved 
son  in  the  army.  Dear  Thomas  told  me  of  you  and  of  your 
son  in  one  of  his  letters.  He  told  me  there  was  a  woman 
in  the  hospital  by  the  name  of  Mrs.  Lee ;  he  said  you  were 
as  kind  to  the  soldiers  as  a  mother,  and  that  they  all  loved 
you  as  a  mother.  He  said  you  were  an  angel.  I  wrote  to 
him  that  I  was  happy  to  hear  him  say  that  there  was  an 
angel  in  his  tent ;  for  I  never  censed  to  pray  to  God,  my 
heavenly  Father,  that  he  would  send  his  holy  angels  into 
his  tent,  to  guide  him  by  day  and  guard  him  by  night. 
He  wrote  me,  the  day  ho  went  into  the  hospital,  that  he  had 
the  rheumatism  in  his  arms  and  legs,  but  thought  he  should 
be  able  to  go  back,  to  his  regiment.  I  did  not  feel  much 
alarmed  about  him.  He  then  wrote  to  me  he  had  the 
measles  very  lightly,  but  the  cough  hung  on,  aa  it  always 
does. 

His  last  letter  was  "written  to  me  March  29.  He  said 
he  thought  he  was  about  rid  of  the  measles,. but  the  lame- 


MBS.    MART   W.    LEE.  167 

ness  was  no  bettor.  Dear  Mrs.  Lee,  I  beg  you  to  write 
me,  and  give  all  the  particulars  about  my  darling  son. 
Were  you  with  him  in  his  last  sickness?  I  suppose  he 
was  a  great  sufferer.  Will  you  write  when  ho  was  first 
taken  with  the  fever,  and  if  he  was  conscious  of  the 
approach  of  death.  Did  he  speak  of  his  mother  or  sister, 
or  father  or  brother?  Lieutenant  Milton  wrote  mo  that 
he  died  the  9th  of  April.  You  will  please  to  tell  mo 
at  what  hour,  and  when  ho  was  buried.  Toll  me  if  he 
lost  his  flesh. 

O,  I  shall  never,  never  again  see  my  darling  boy  in  this 
world  I  never  again  hear  his  joyous  laugh !  O  Mrs.  1x20, 
can  you  sympathize  with  me?  I  am  thinking  of  your  own 
darling  son.  May  bo  now  the  battle  rages !  May  our 
heavenly  Father  protect  your  dear  son,  and  return,  him 
safe  to  you. 

Will  you  please  to  ascertain  the  place  whore  Thomas  K. 
Ripley  is  buried.  We  shall  bring  his  body  home  as  soon  as 
wo  can  have  permission.  I  have  sont  threo  letters  to  my 
son  j  two  the  last  week  in  March  ;  one  hod  a  five-dollar  bill 
in  it.  Do  you  know  if  he  received  the  money? 

I  pray  that  you  will  write  to  mo  as  soon  as  you  con,  and 
I  will  satisfy  you  for  it.  If  there  is  a  pocket-book  or  letters 
left  behind,  you  will  pleaso  save  them  for  hifl  poor,  afilicted 
mother. 

My  dear  friend,  I  hope  you  will  write  to  me  ;  it  will  be 
a  great  consolation  to  my  bereaved  heart.  I  am  much 
afflicted,  and  can  hardly  write.  This  is  terrible  I 

MRS.   MABY  D.  RTPLKIT, 

(WUb  of  Nathaniel  Blptejr.) 


168  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

Saving  thus  sympathized  in  the  sufferings  and  disasters 
of  'our  soldiers,  and  in  the  agony 'that  their  death  occasioned 
at  so  many  firesides,  it  was  fit  that  Mrs.  Lee  should  he 
present  at  the  happy  consummation,  and  join  in  that  grand 
pcean  of  victory,  that,  commencing  at  Richmond,  in  the 
first  days  of  April,  wont  swelling,  in  a  glorious  chorus, 
from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  shores. 

In  the  hospital  whore  Mrs.  Leo  then  was,  the  exultations 
of  the  poor,  languishing  soldiers  were  full  of  almost 
frantic  joy. 

w  Such  a  time  1 "  she  writes  ;  "  the  people  nearly  went 
crazy.  Hospital  help,  ladies,  wounded  and  all,  were  be 
side  themselves.  [Processions  were  formed,  kettles  impro 
vised  for  drums  ;  all  kinds  of  noises  were  made  to  manifest 
our  joy.  Bells  were  rung,  cannon  fired,  steam  whistles 
blown ;  men  cheered  and  shouted  themselves  hoarse. 
President  Lincoln  visited  the  hospital  while  I  was  there. 
He  went  round  to  every  man,  and  said  he  wanted  to  shake 
the  hand  of  every  man  who  had  helped  to  gain  so  glorious 
a  victory ;  and  he  had  a  kind  word  for  all." 

In  the  hospitals  of  Petersburg  and  Richmond  Mrs. 
Leo  continued  for  a  month  after  Lee's  surrender ;  for, 
though  the  war  was  ended,  there  remained  a  great  mul 
titude  of  the  sick,  and  those  wounded  in  the  last  en 
gagements. 

Then,  when  there  were  no  more  homeless  and  suffering 
patriots ;  no  more  -wounds  to  be  stanched ;  no  more 
long  trains  of  ambulances,  with  their  groaning  and  bleed 
ing  freightage ;  no  more  caldrons  of  gruel  and  mutton 
.soup  to  be  cooked  for  great  wards  full  of  half-famished 


MBS.    MAST    W.     USE.  169 

boy  a,    Mrs.    Lee    went  home,    and    slipped   back   into   the 
happy  routine   of  domestic   usefulness. 

Into  those  womanly  duties  she  carries  the  rich  con 
sciousness  of  having"  given  herself  up  entirely,  for  three 
laborious  but  happy  years,  to  the  exercise  of  heavenly 
charities,  and  to  the  practice  of  that  mercy  that  is  twice 
blessed. 


MISS   MAJOR   PAULINE   CUSHMAN. 

FTTV3IS  brilliant  and  impulsive  being,  whose  life,  if  it 
1  *  could  be  fully  written,  would  sound  like  some  tale  of 
romance,  Is  of  French  and  Spanish  descent,  and  was  born. 
in  New  Orleans,  in  1833.  As  she  grew  to  womanhood, 
the  charms  of  her  person  and  the  impressiveness  of  her 
manners  drew  her  irresistibly  to  the  stage,  where  she  has 
had  a  brilliant  career. 

"When  the  war  commenced,  in  1861,  she  was  playing  an 
engagement  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  soon  after  went  to 
Louisville,  where  her  histrionic  success  continued,  and  was 
even  greater  than  ever  before.  Early  in  the  year  1863, 
while  playing  in  "Wood's  Theatre,  she  received  many  atten 
tions  from  paroled  rebel  officers,  who  were  then  in  Louis 
ville  ;  and,  with  the  desire  of  making  that  foolish  and  ill- 
timed  parade  of  secession  sentiment,  which  was  so  often 
considered  true  bravery  among  them,  one  of  these  officers 
proposed  to  her  to  offer,  in  the  midst  of  one  of  her  ports,  a 
toast  to  Jeff  Davis  and  the  Southern  Confederacy.  She 
consented  to  do  so ;  and,  upon  reflection,  it  occurred  to 
Misa  Cushman  that  hero  was  afforded  her  an  admirable 
opportunity  of  serving  her  country,  and  at  the  same  time 
gratifying  her  own  love  of  romance  and  wild  adventure. 
She  at  once  sought  and  obtained  an  interview  with  Colonel 

(170) 


MIBS    PAULINE    CUSJSMAK.  171 

Moore,  the  provost  marshal,  who,  after  serious  consultation, 
and  becoming  convinced  of  her  genuine  loyalty,  received 
her  proposition  to  enter  the  secret  service  of  the  United 
States. 

She  took  the  formal  and  solemn  oath  administered  before 
entering  that  hazardous  branch  of  tho  service  ;  and  the  fol 
lowing  night,  in  the  midst  of  her  port,  and  while  the 
crowded  theatre  had  all  eyes  riveted  upon  her  graceful 
acting,  proposed  this  astounding  toast :  "  Here's  to  Jeff 
Davis  and  the  Southern  Confederacy.  May  the  South 
always  maintain  her  honor  and  her  rights." 

The  sentiment  fell  upon  the  audience  like  the  explosion 
of  a  shell.  All  the  loyal  persons  present  were  at  once  mor 
tified  and  indignant,  while  the  southern  sympathizers  were 
delighted.  Very  prompt  action  was  taken.  Miss  Cushman 
was  formally  expelled  from  the  theatrical  corps,  and  sent 
south,  in  the  direction  of  her  "  sympathies,"  to  be  lionized 
as  a  victim  of  Yankee  tyranny.  She  went  to  Nashville, 
and  sought  au  interview  with  Colonel  Truesdolo,  the  chief 
of  army  police,  who  gave  her  tho  most  minute  instructions 
and  details  as  to  tho  information  which  she  must  tmdoavor 
to  obtain  in  the  rebel  linos.  Thus  equipped,  and  with  full 
confidence  in  luck  and  her  mimetic  talent,  she  started  out 
on  the  Hard  in  Pike,  as  the  people  there  coll  the  road 
which  leads  from  Nashville  in  the  direction  of  Sholbyvillo. 
Within  a  few  days,  and  amid  a  variety  of  adventures,  she 
was  ublo  to  collect  many  important  items  of  information, 
with  which  she  was  about  to  return  to  Nashville,  when  for  a 
time  the  run  of  good  fortune  was  changed  ;  and  one  night, 
while  stopping  at  the  house  of  a  quiet  farmer,  \>y  the  name 


172  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAB. 

of  Baum,  she  found  herself  under  arrest,  and  was  ushered 
into  the  presence  of  that  renowned  guerrilla  and  marauder, 
Jock  Morgan.  Jack  had  too  much  chivalry  to  be  anything 
hut  civil  to  a  prisoner  so  fair,  young,  and  fascinating,  and 
was  truly  profuse  in  his  generosity  as  he  was  conducting 
her  to  Forrest's  headquarters,  offering  the  heautiful  Paulino 
all  his  friendship,  a  magnificent  diamond  ring,  and  a 
silver-mounted  revolver,,  and  urging  her  to  accept  a  posi 
tion  as  aid-de-camp  on  his  staff,  -as  soon  as  she  should  he 
released. 

Forrest  she  found  a  rougher  custodian,  and  much  less 
susceptible,  than  "Johnnie/*  as  sho  familiarly  called  tho 
other  freebooter.  Her  first  interview  with  him  was  a  fine 
piece  of  melodrama,  and  would  have  excited  applause  and 
admiration  in  any  theatre  in  the  country. 

tf  Well,"  said  the  hero  of  tho  card-table  and  tho  bowie- 
knife,  "I'm  really  glad  to  see  you;  I've  been  looking  for 
you  a  long  time  ;  but  I've  got  this  last  shuffle,  and  intend  to 
hold  you.  You've  been  hero  before,  I  take  it  —  know  all 
the  roads  —  don't  you  ?  and  all  tho  bridle  paths,  and  even 
the  hog  paths  —  don't  you  ?  " 

Our  heroine,  drawing;  herself  to  her  full  height,  and  flash 
ing  indignant  scorn  from  her  black  eyes,  exclaimed,  — 

"Sir,  every  word  you  utter  is  as  false  as  your  own  traitor 
ous  heart !  I've  never  been  here  before,  and  I  should  like 
to  send  a  bullet  through  tho  man  who  is  mean  enough  to 
make  the  charge." 

The  ruffian  gazed  on  her  a  moment,  and  with  the  savage 
gleam  of  tho  eye  that  he  afterwards  wore  at  Port  Pillow, 
replied,  "  Yes,  and  I'd  send  one  through  you,  if  I  could, 


MISS    PAULINE    CtJSIIMAK.  173 

if  you  dared  to  repeat  the  assertion.**  Then  his  admiration 
for  pluck  got  the  better  of  his  temper,  and  he  added  : 
w  Well,  you've  got  good  fighting  stuff  in  you,  if  you  are  a 
woman." 

In  the  sharp  skirmish  of  cross-questioning  which  fol 
lowed,  her  womSH's  wit  enabled  her  to  spring  a  doubt  in. 
the  mind  of  the  cautious  desperado,  and  he  turned  her  over 
to  Provost  Marshal  General  McKinstry,  who,  ho  assured 
her,  was  a  lummno  and  just  man,  and  would  investigate 
tho  charges  made  against  her,  aud  docido  ou  thorn  with 
fairness. 

After  a  little  more  bandying  of  words,  the  fair  Paulino 
was  dispatched  to  tho  headquarters  of  General  Bragg ;  and 
as  sho  rodo  away,  Johnnie  Morgan  bado  her  adieu  in  tho 
following  elegant  vernacular  :  — 

w  Good-by  ;  I  hope  wo  shall  meet  again,  whore  wo  shall 
have  something  better  than  corn  bread  baked  in  ashes,  and 
rot-gut  whiskey  at  fifteen  dollars  a  quart." 

Some  months  after,  sho  saw  tho  great  marauder  under 
circumstances  very  different.  IIo  had  been  captured,  in 
his  famous  raid  north  of  tho  Ohio,  aud  was  confined,  like 
any  other  felon,  in  tho  Pcmitoiitiary  at  Columbus,  in  prison 
stripe,  and  with  hair  dressed  by  the  prison  barber.  Advancing 
to  him,  sho  held  out  her  baud,  and  laughingly  exclaimed, 
w  How  are  you,  Johnnie?  "  "Ah,"  replied  tho  jolly  rebel, 
"  the  boot  is  on  tho  other  foot  now." 

Bragg  sho  tbuiid  a  different  man  from  either  of  the  cav 
alry  chieftains  ;  and  her  talk  with  him  was  not  so  spicy,  nor 
«o  cheerful  in  its  termination. 

Sho    S**TT  boforo   her  a  bony,  angular,  sharp-pointed   man, 


174  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAS. 

without  kindness  or  'humanity,  or  any  of  the  milder  parts 
of  human  nature  in  his  composition  ;  of  blunt  address,  im 
patient  gestures,  and  heartless  physiognomy. 

Her  colloquy  with  this  cast-iron  rebel  ran  somewhat  as 
follows  :  — 

JBragg.      Of  what  country  are  you? 

Pauline.      I  am  of  French  and  Spanish  descent. 

J3ragg.      "Where  were  you  born? 

JPauline.      In  New  Orleans. 

JBragg.      Your  speech  savors  of  the  Yankee  twang. 

Pauline.  Well,  as  an  actress,  I've  been  playing  Yankee 
parts  so  long  that  I  suppose  I've  caught  the  "  twang." 

Uragg.  But  to  the  point :  you  have  important  papers  in 
your  possession,  and  if  they  prove  you  to  bo  a  spy,  nothing 
can  save  you  from  a  little  hemp. 

Pauline  (carelessly).  Well,  go  on;  root  the  whole 
thing  up,  if  you  like. 

JBragtj  (picking  up  a  package  of  letters).  "Without  send 
ing  out  any  spies,  I  know  what  goes  on  at  the  Yankee  head 
quarters  better  than  the  clerks  there  know. 

Pauline.  Suppose  I  am  found  guilty  ;  what  will  you  do 
with  mo  ? 

Bragg.      Why,  you'll  be  hanged  ;   that's  all. 

Pauline.  Come,  now,  general,  I  don't  think  I'll  be  either 
useful  nor  ornamental  dangling  at  the  ond  of  a  ropo. 
"Won't  you  let  me  choose  my  method  of  dying? 

JSragg.  Well,  really,  I  couldn't,  as  you  might  choose  to 
die  in  your  bed,  in  the  natural  way. 

Pauline.  Come,  now,  won't  shooting  do  just  as  well? 
It  wouldn't  hurt  quite  so  bad,  you  know. 


MISS    PAULINE    CUSHMAtf.  175 

This  interview  had  given  our  light-hearted  heroine  an 
idea.  Sho  was  soon  after  taken  very  ill,  and  seemed  in  a 
fair  way  to  cheat  tho  general  out  of  his  pleasant  littlo 
amusement  of  hanging  a  female,  for  she  was  tried  (or  was 
so  informed,  at  least) ,  found  guilty,  and  condemned.  Tho 
execution  was  delayed  only  by  her  continued  sickness.  At 
tho  eleventh  hour  her  fortune  changed.  As  our  heroine 
was  lying  on  hor  cot  ono  fiuo  morning  in  the  last  days  of 
June,  feeling  that  sho  would  soon  bo  well  enough  to  bo 
hung",  there  were  signs  at  tho  headquarters  of  the  rebel 
general  of  sudden  commotion ;  and,  before  she  was  in 
formed  what  it  meant,  tho  joyous  sound  of  tho  Union  bugles, 
playing  the  national  airs,  reached  her  sick  room  ;  and  soon 
Rosecrana*  advance  guard  was  in  town.  Bragg  had  fled  for 
the  mountains,  and  she  no  longer  felt  tho  terrors  of  her 
unfortunate  position. 

General  Garfield,  in  consideration  of  her  long"  service, 
and  suffering  and  danger,  in  tho  Union  cause,  and  of  two 
severe  wounds,  received  while  engaged  in  the  secret  service, 
conferred  on  tho  heroine  the  rank  and  title  of  major,  by 
•which  sho  was  afterwards  commonly  known. 


MRS.    JOHN    HARRIS. 

AT  tho  very  outset  of  the  war,  before  the  blood  had 
commenced  to  flow  in  tho  long  fratricidal  strife,  a 
group  of  ladies  in  Philadelphia  met  and  organized  a  system 
of  relief  for  the  sufferings  and  privations  which  they  knew 
must  follow  in  tho  train  of  war. 

They  were  mostly  members  of  the  church  of  Rev.  Dr. 
Boardman,  and  had  frequently  cooperated  in  charitable 
labors  for  tho  destitute  or  ignorant  of  their  own  com 
munity  or  in  pagan  lands. 

Mrs.  Joel  Jones  was  made  the  p resident  of  this  associa 
tion,  and  Mrs.  Stephen  Col  well  was  its  treasurer.  Its 
secretary  was  one  of  those  delicate,  fragile,  and  feeble-look 
ing  ladies  who  are  apparently  condemned  to  lives  of  patient 
suffering  and  inactivity  by  constitutional  defect  of  physical 
vigor.  She  was  known  merely  as  a  lady  of  warm  personal 
piety,  and  excellent  but  mild  and  unobtrusive  sense. 
Charitable  and  beneficent  she  had  been  in  her  quiet,  daily 
life ;  but  any  aspirations  that  she  may  have  had  to  wide, 
national,  and  laborious  activity,  were  apparently  quenched 
in  the  demands  for  passive  endurance  which  almost  con 
stant  illness  made  upon  her.  A  heroine  of  Christian, 
patience  she  might  become,  one  would  say  ;  one  of  the  un 
counted  sisterhood  of  silent  pain,  whose  sighs  ore  reckoned 

(170) 


JOHN     ILAIUtlS.  177 

nud  whoso  chambers  of  suiTering  arc  visited  by  tho  angel 
who  stood  bcsido  tho  mute  "Wrestler  in  Gethsemaiie.  Yet 
she  it  was,  this  pallid  and  low- voiced  lady,  who,  when  tho 
brazen  trumpet  of  war  rang  across  tho  continent,  glided 
from  her  sick  chamber,  and  entered  upon  a  self-imposed 
and  self-directed  career  of  Christian  and  sanitary  labors, 
more  extended,  more  arduous,  and  more  potent  for  good, 
than  any  other  that  can  bo  found  in  American  annals. 

If  there  wore  any  such  vain  decorations  of  human  appro 
bation  as  a  crown,  or  a  wreath,  or  a  star  for  her,  who  in 
our  late  war  has  done  the  most,  and  labored  the  longest, 
who  visited  tho  greatest  number  of  hospitals,  prayed  with 
tho  greatest  number  of  stilleriiig  and  dying  soldiers,  pene 
trated  nearest  to  tho  front,  and  underwent  tho  greatest 

amount    of    fatigue    and     exposure    for    tho     soldier, that 

crown  or  that  star  would  bo  rightfully  given  to  JNlrs.  John 
Harris,  of  Philadelphia. 

.  Yet  not  one  in  all  tho  noble  sisterhood  is  more  indifferent 
than  she  to  all  human  applause.  What  she-  did  wad  not  to 
bo  seen  or  praised  of  men.  It  was  other  than  tho  crown 
that  human  fingers  can  weave  her  that  sho  sought,  — 

'*  The    perfect   witneaa   of  ull-juil&ing  Jove." 

Very  soon  after  tho  organization  of  tho  Ladies'  Aid 
Society,  Mrs.  Harris  saw  that  work  at  tho  front  and  in 
hospitals  was  imperatively  demanded. 

After  the  first  battlo  of  Manassas,  hospitals  were  created 
in  Washington  and  along  tho  Potomac.  These  rapidly  in 
creased,  both  in  the  number  of  their  patients  and  in  tho 
amount  of  suffering  and  want  they  contained,  as  tho 
12 


178  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAR. 

demands  of  the  war  at  first  far  outran  tho  sources  of  sup 
ply.  Her  first  visits  to  tho  front  wcro  immediately  after 
tho  first  bloodshed,  and  though  110  heavy  battles*  were 
fought  in  Virginia  till  the  following-  summer,  when  wo 
remember  thtit  over  two  hundred  thousand  men  were  sud 
denly  transferred  from  civil  to  military  life,  it  will  not 
appear  strange  that  there  were  full  hospitals  all  along  tho 
Potomac  for  miles  above  and  below  Washington.  At  that 
timo  there  was  no  one  in  America  who  could  7io  said  t<i 
have  a  full  practical  knowledge  of  military  surgery  and 
hygiene.  The  European  systems  needed  important  modi 
fications  before  they  could  bo  successfully  applied  to  our 
army  and  our  people.  In  tho  mean  time,  as  tho  ponderous 
machinery  was  becoming  adjusted,  ^Ir.s.  liar  rid  devoted 
herself  to  alleviating  sn tiering  as  she  found  it,  and  where 
she  found  it,  bringing  to  the  work  the  clear  practical  sense 
of  a  person  perfectly  familiar  with  housekeeping  in  all 
its  details. 

Before  the  army  moved  in  tho  spring  of  18(>2,  Mrs. 
Harris  had  visited  more  than  a  hundred  hospitals,  making 
donations  of  such  articles  as  she  had  received  from  the 
society  at  home,  and  suggesting  various  simple  but  effective 
arrangements  for  tho  preparation  and  distribution  of  food 
for  tho  sick.  ^Vhcn  tho  army  moved  out  to  Maiiassas  in 
March,  and  soon  after  was  transferred  to  the  Peninsula, 
her  exertions  and  exposures  wero  made  to  correspond  with 
those  of  tho  men. 

"When  she  entered  upon  these  labors  sho  seema  to  havo 
been  inspired  by  twofold  motives,  both  alike  blessed.  Her 
sympathies  embraced  all  tho  wants  of  suffering,  dying  men  ; 


MRS.     JOHN    IIAItltld.  170 

and  in  the  details  that  follow,  the  full,  sad,  and  touching 
story  of  hor  labors  by  a  thousand  disath-bods,  on  tlio  iicld, 
in  hospital  tents,  in  shc^r  tents,  in  transports,  or  in  lodges 
for  the  refugees,  we  arc  at  11  loss  which  most  to  admire  in 
Mrs.  Harris  —  the  practical  good  sense  with  which  she 
labored  for  the  physical  comfort  of  duilcrors,  or  the  abound 
ing  Christian  zeal  and  love  with  which  she  always  strove  to 
make  sacred  impressions  011  the  minds  of  those  ohc  met ; 
the  saintly  spirit  in  which  sho  knelt  by  the  dying,  and  whis 
pered  words  of  celestial  consolation  into  ears  that  wore 
growing  deaf  to  all  human  voices. 

To  how  many  .sho  thus  lllinistorctl,  and  with  what 
blessed  results,  no  human  records  can  possibly  inform 
us.  Hundreds,  if  they  ever  testify  of  her  kindness, 
and  of  the  supremo  consolations  received  from  her  lips, 
will  spealc  of  her  in  the  upper  kingdom,  and  on  the 
peaceful  shore. 

And  how  many,  if  they  could  speak  from  the  rudo 
soldier  graves  where  they  were  buried,  would  say  the  last 
they  knew  was  the  touch  of  her  aoft  hand  on  their  clammy 
forehead,  her  low  voice  at  their  ear  whispering  of  the 
T^.-tmb  that  was  slain  for  them,  the  sacrifice  that  atones  for 
all,  the  blood  that  washes  away  sin  ! 

Hut  her  name  is  cherished  and  linked  witli  the  most 
sacred  and  touching  memories,  oil  many  a  far-off  hill-side, 
and  in  many  a  lonely  cottage  ;  for  from  her  pen  came  the 
last  record  that  over  reached  them  of  tho  hero  boy  who  was 
wounded  on  tho  Chickahominy,  or  at  Manassas  or  Aiitietain, 
and  died  in  a  hospital  ;  of  tho  dying  patriot,  who,  with 
glazing  eyo  and  shortening  breath,  begged  of  her  to  take 


180  I        WOMEN'    OF    THE    WAR. 

the  ring  from  his  finger  when  he  waa  laid  out,  and  to  cut  a 
lock  of  his  hair,  and  send  them  to  her. 

Fortunately  the  records  of  th^pa  labors  of  patriotic  zeal 
and  Christian  love  uro  more  numerous  and  in  better  preser 
vation  than  those  of  many  who  were  her  fellow-laborers. 
As  the  secretary  of  the  Ladies'  Aid  Society,  she  wroto 
constantly  and  very  full  letters  to  its  president  in  Phila 
delphia  ;  and,  in  compiling  their  semi-annual  reports,  these 
ladies  very  wisely  published  copious  selections  from  Mrs. 
Harris*  admirable  productions,  and  thus  imparted,  to  what 
would  otherwise  have  been  a  mere  business  pamphlet, 
touching  interest  and  lasting  value. 

The  first  that  we  hear  of  ^Irs.  Harris,  in  these  reports,  is 
at  Fairfax  Seminary,  early  in  the  spring  of  18(>2,  before 
the  enemy  had  moved  down  to  tho  Peninsula,  and  when  a. 
battle  was  supposed  to  bo  imminent  at  or  near  Mu.uassa3 
Junction.  She  took  with  her  to  tho  general  hospitals,  in 
and  near  Alexandria,  a  large  number  of  boxes  sent  to  tho 
Ladies'  Aid  Society,  and  was  engaged  for  some  time  in  a 
careful  and  judicious  distribution  of  their  contents.  At  ono 
place  she  found  two  hundred  poor  fellows,  who  had  been 
thrown  into  an  unfinished  hospital,  somo  of  them  lying 
around  on  piles  of  shavings,  and  some  stretched  011  tho 
work-benches.  They  made  few  complaints,  however;  but 
the3r  did  think  some  improvement  might  be  mado  in 
their  tea,  and  ^Irs.  Harris  pushed  her  way  to  the  cook- 
room,  to  seo  if  she  could  make  a  useful  suggestion.  Talk 
ing  tho  matter  over  with  the  cook,  she  found  tho  plant  waa 
not  in  fault,  nor  tho  water  ;  but  all  the  pot  ho  had  for  his 
two  hundred  men  was  a  new  cast-iron  caldron,  in  which  ho 


MR3.     JOIENT    IIAHLU8.  1S1 

boiled  his  soup,  vegetables,  meat,  and  tea  in  succession, 
each  mess  waiting  its  turn.  Airs.  Harris  at  oiico  wont  out, 
and  without  troubling  anybody  witii  u  requisition,  succeeded 
in  getting,  for  three  dollars,  a  very  good  boiler,  which  had 
originally  cost  ten.  lf  Yon  would  all  say  I  could  not  have 
used  three  dollars  more  wisely,  could  you  have  heard  the 
poor  fellows  tell  how  much  improved  their  tea  was." 

15ut  the  1'otomac  ceased,  Tor  a  lew  mouths,  to  he  the 
principal  theatre  of  the  strife  ;  and  wo  Jiiid  Airs.  Harris,  in 
May,  laboring  in  the  hospitals  at  l'\>r  tress  Monroe,  full  of 
those  who  had  sickened  oil  the  1'cniiisula,  in  the  first 
month  of  picket  and  trench  duty  before  Vorktown,  and 
tho  wounded  of  both  armies  at  AVilliumsburg.  On  the 
21st  of  May,  sho  writes,  — 

"  Airs.  1).  in  the  (Jhcsapcako  ami  Alias  S.  in  tho  Ilygcia 
Hospitals  are  noble  \vomeii.  I  cannot  speak  of  all  their 
worth,  nor  can  I  describe  the  state  of  things  hero.  No 
language  can  give  the  faintest  idea  of  the  cicelies  of  suf 
fering  and  deadly  anguish  through  which  \ve  are  passing. 
My  dear  friend,  say  to  the  ladies,  that  no  sacrifice  they  can 
make  would  bo  felt  as  such  could  they  look  upon  the  pains, 
the  groans,  tho  dying  strife,  of  hundreds  of  the  bravo  fel 
lows  whom  wo  saw  embark  but  two  months  since  at  Alex 
andria,  then  full  of  buoyancy,  and  eager  for  tho  conflict 
which  was  to  vindicate  tho  honor  of  our  ilog,  and  cover 
their  names  with  glory.  Could  3-011  havo  visited  with  me, 
on  Saturday,  tho  largest  ward  of  the  Ilygcia  Hospital,  your 
•whole  being  would  havo  thrilled  with  anguish.  Friend  and 

foo  are  crowded  together  without  distinction all  suffering. 

The  first  one  approached  had  bceu  wounded  in  tho  thigh. 


182  WOirEN"    OF    Till!    WAR. 

and  arm.  The  leg  had  been  amputated,  and  an  extraction 
made  of  the  broken  bones  in  the  arm.  Surgeons  hud  been 
probing  the  diseased  portions,  not  heeding  the  shrieks  of 
the  sufferer,  whom  I  found  covered  with  cold  sweat,  and 
neariug  the  dark  valley  ;  indeed,  the  mists  of  the  valley 
wero  settling  over  him.  AVheii  the  gracious  words,  'Come 
unto  me,  all  yo  that  are  weary  and  heavy  laden,  and  I  will 
give  you  rest,'  were  spoken,  the  suffering  one  looked  up, 
and  exclaimed,  'Rest,  rest  I  O,  where,  where?'  *  In  the 
bosom  of  Jesus,  if  you  will  but  lay  your  sins  on  him,  and 
your  suffering,  throbbing  heart  close  to  his,  you  will  bo 
filled  with  rest  in  all  the  fulness  of  its  meaning.'  lie  tried 
to  stay  his  faith  on  the  '  Rock  ;  '  but  very  soon  the  unseen 
closed  him  in,  and  left  us  vainly  endeavoring  to  follow  the 
departing  soul. 

"  Next  him  sat  a  boy  from  Carolina,  who  had  been  shot 
through  the  body,  and  could  not  lie  down.  The  poor  fellow 
was  soliloquizing,  in  low,  tremulous  tones,  his  eyes  shut, 
thus:  'This  poor  boy  was  in  the  battle  of  Bull  Run;  left 
his  mother  011  the  12th  of  April  ;  she  prayed  for  him,  and 
almost  broke  her  heart  weeping.  He  wrote  to  his  mother 
that  he  was  safe  and  well.  And  then  he  got  along,  seeing 
a  good  many  hard  times,  till  the  battle  of  Williamsburg. 
There  a  ball  went  through  his  body,  and  poor  mother  will 
never  sec  her  boy  again.  What  a  pity  —  yes,  a  mighty 
pity  — .'  I  listened  for  a  time  with  a  bursting  heart,  and 
then  took  his  hand,  and  said,  '  Shall  I  bo  your  mother,  and 
comfort  you?'  'Yes,'  he  said,  in  a  childish  way  (he  was 
only  nineteen) ,  r  I'll  try  and  think  she  is  here.'  After  a 
short  talk,  in  which  Jesus  was  held  up  to  the  dying  boy  as 


MBS.    JOHN    HARRIS.  183 

bettor  even  than  a  mother,  ho  begged  mo  to  write  to  his 
mother  *a  very  long  letter,  sending  a  loek  of  my  hair;  but 
you  needn't  tako  the  hair  now ;  say  everything  to  comfort 
her  ;  but,'  ho  added,  '  I  want  her  to  know  how  her  poor  boy 
suffers  ;  yes,  I  do  thut,  aho  would  feel  so  for  me.'  lie  lin 
gered  till  Monday  ;  and,  after  a  painful  operation,  sank 
away  most  unexpectedly,  and  when  I  got  there  was  in  tho 
dead-house.  So  I  wont  into  that  dismal  placo,  full  of 
corpses,  and  eut  a  loek  from  tho  dead  boy's  head,  and  en 
closed  it  to  tho  mother,  adding  some  words  of  comfort  for 
tho  sorrow-btrickeii.  IIo  had  received  a  religious  train 
ing,  and  told  me  to  tell  his  mother  he  would  meet  her  in 
heaven. 

"Next  him  was  a  young  man  from  Massachusetts  —  a  faco 
full  of  gentleness,  but  wearing  a  painful,  anxious  expression, 
lie  was  not  quito  certain  that  ho  was  on  tho  right  founda 
tion,  and  shrank  from  death." 

Next  him  lay  a  young  Alabamian.  IIo  was  evidently 
past  all  surgical  aid,  and  Airs.  Harris  could  only  do  us  sho 
had  with  his  fellow-sufl'erer  from  Carolina  —  pray  with  him, 
and  whisper  consolatory  words  of  Christ,  and  take  a  lock 
of  his  hair  to  send  to  his  mother,  with  soino  account  of  how 
and  where  her  boy  had  died.  Her  letters  woro  often  inter 
rupted  by  calls  to  come  to  this  dying  man,  or  that  suffer 
ing  boy  ;  3ret  all  this  time  her  practical  labors  woro  not 
suspended. 

Sho  had  with  her  ten  boxes,  five  of  which  she  appro 
priated  to  tho  Chesapcako  and  five  to  tho  Williamsburg 
Hospital,  and  wrote  very  earnestly  to  Philadelphia  for 
cggs,  butter,  port  wine,  crackers,  green  tea,  bandages, 


184  WOMJEX    OF    THE    WAR. 

lint;  pickles,  and  shirts.  "Pads  and  cushions,  of  overy 
imaginable  shape  and  form,  are  in  demand.  Oil  silk 
greatly,  very  greatly  needed." 

A  few  days  later,  in  June,  about  the  time  the  battle  of  Fair 
Oaks  was  fought,  wo  find  Mrs.  Harris  011  the  Vandcrbilt, 
•which  had  just  been  loaded  with  seven  hundred  wounded 
from  that  field.  Many  of  them  had  oaten  nothing  for  three 
or  four  days,  and  the  first  cry  that  met  her  ears  was  for  tea 
and  bread.  Making  her  way  into  the  cook-room,  sho  took 
hold  with  her  own  experienced  hands  ;  and  she  tells  us  how 
glad  she  felt  when  the  great  boiler  was  heating  with  three 
pounds  of  tea  in  it,  and  aho  had  five  or  six  gallons  of  gruel 
bubbling  for  the  boys.  Meantime  she  bought  and  cut  up 
twenty-five  loaves  of  broad,  spreading  jelly  between  the 
slices,  and  soon  had  tea  passed  around  in  buckets.  Then  she 
made  her  way  into  the  hold,  and  gave  the  sick  some  pickles, 
which  they  said  did  them  more  good  than  all  the  medicine. 
Wine  she  added  to  the  gruel,  and  it  was  relished  "you  cannot 
tell  how  much.**  One  poor  wounded  boy  she  speaks  of,  ex 
hausted  with  the  loss  of  blood  and  long  fasting,  who  looked 
lip,  after  taking  the  first  nourishment  he  could  swallow 
since  the  battle  of  Saturday,  then  four  days,  and  exclaimed, 
with  face  radiant  with  gratitude  and  pleasure,  <CO,  that  is 
life  to  me ;  I  feel  as  if  twenty  years  were  given  me 
to  live.*' 

Laboring  thus  all  day,  she  was  overtaken  by  a  shower 
when  going  back  to  the  Hygeia  Hospital,  and  reached  her 
room  with  every  garment  saturated,  where  she  lay  down 
"aching  in  overy  bone,  with  heart  and  head  throbbing, 
unwilling  to  cease  work  while  so-  much  was  to  be  done,  but 


MHS.    JOIIK    HARRIS.  185 

fell  asleep  at  last,  from  shocr  exhaustion,"  the  latest  sounds 
that  foil  upon  her  oar  being  groans  from  the  operating  room. 

On  the  afternoon  of  tho  next  day  (or  the  next  but  ono), 
she  describes  tho  scenes  011  board  another  vessel,  in  like 
manner  freighted  with  suffering. 

"The  afternoon,"  she  writes,  "found  us  on  board  tho 
Louisiana,  where  foarful  sights  met  us.  The  wholo  day 
had  been  spent  in  operating.  In  one  pile  lay  seventeen 
arms,  hands,  feet,  and  legs.  A  largo  proportion  of  tho 
wounded  had  undergone  mutilation  in  some  important 
member.  Many  must  die.  Four  lay  with  their  faces  cov 
ered,  dying  or  dead.  Many  had  not  had.  their  wounds 
dressed  sinco  the  battle,  and  wore  ill  a  sad  state  already. 
One  brave  fellow,  from  Maine,  had  lost  both  legs,  and  boro 
up  with  wonderful  firmness.  Upon  my  saying  to  him, 'You 
have  suffered  much  for  your  country  ;  wo  eanuot  thank  you 
enough,1  ho  replied,  'O,  well,  you  hadn't  ought  to  thank 
me.  I  went  of  my  own  accord,  in  a.  glorious  cause .  God 
bless  McClcllan.' 

"And  hero  let  mo  say,  tho  3-0  ung  lady,  Miss  B.,  whom  I 
brought  with  me,  spent  tho  w.'iolo  of  Friday  night  on  board 
tho  Louisiana,  dressing  and  caring  for  tho  wounded.  "When 
I  left  tho  boat,  at  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  I  was  obliged  to 
wash  all  my  skirts,  being  drabbled  in  tho  mingled  blood  of 
Federal  and  Confederate  soldiers,  which,  covered  many  por 
tions  of  tho  floor.  I  was  obliged  to  kneel  between  them  to 
wash  their  faces.  This  is  war." 

During  tho  latter  part  of  Juno  Mrs.  Harris  continued 
those  arduous  labors  nearer  tho  front.  Much  of  tho  time 
she  was  on.  Dudley  Farm  and  at  Savage's  Station,  so  near  the 


186  i     WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

battle  lino  that  the  balls  and  shells  whistzcd  over  where-  she 
was  at  work.  The  stylo  of  labor  bero  was  inucb  tbo  saino 
as  on  the  ships.  At  0110  time,  as  ebo  was  passing  a  bouse, 
tbo  sentinel  told,  bcr  tbero  was  a  captain  of  a  Ttlaiiio  regi 
ment  very  sick  within . 

Sbe  describes  tbo  seeno  tbus  :  "  \V"e  went  in,  no  door 
obstructing,  and  tbero,  upon  a  strctcbcr,  in  a  corner  of 
tbo  room,  opening1  directly  upon  tbe  road,  lay  an  tilegant- 
looking  youth,  struggling  witb  tbo  last  great  enemy.  His 
mind  was  wandering,  and  as  wo  approacbed  him,  ho  ox- 
claimed,  c  Is  it  not  cruel  to  keep  mo  hero,  when  my  mother 
and  sister,  whom  I  have  not  seen  for  a  year,  are  in  the  next 
room?  They  might  let  mo  go  in.*  Only  for  an  instant  did 
bo  seem  to  have  a  glimpse  of  the  real,  when  ho  drew  two 
rings  from  his  finger,  placed  there  by  tbo  loved  ones, 
banded  them  to  an  attendant,  saying,  '  Carry  them  home.* 
Then  ho  was  amid  battle  scones,  shouting,  '  Deploy  to  the 
left  !  keep  out  of  that  ambuscade  !  Xow  go,  my  braves  ! 
Double  quick  !  Strike  for  the  flag  !  On,  on  !  '  ho  shouted, 
tossing  up  both  bio  arms  ;  'you'll  win  tho  day.'  As  wo 
looked  on  tbo  beautiful  face  and  manly  form,  tbus  wres 
tling  with  the  strong  enemy,  and  thought  of  tho  mother  and 
sister  in  their  distant  homo,  surrounded  by  every  luxury 
wealth  could  purchase,  worlds  sceuiod  too  cheap  to  give  to 
have  him  witb  them. 

"Having  fought  through  three  battles,  bo  was  not  willing 
to  admit  that  he  was  sick  till  the  vital  currents  ebbed  out, 
arid  be  was  actually  dying.  To  the  last  ho  talked  of  his 
men ;  and  now  was  110  timo  to  speak  of  tbo  spirit-land. 
When  I  whispered  a  verso  of  Scripture  iu  bis  ear,  he  smiled 


MRS.    JOIIX    HARRIS.  187 

and  thanked  mo,  but  could  not  appreciate  tho  sacred  words. 
Ho  was  a  graduate  of  Watcrvillo  Collcgo,  and  twenty  of 
his  company  wore  graduated  of  tho  same  college.  An  only 
son,  his  mother  and  sister  doted  on  him  ;  but  tho  mandate 
hud  gone  forth,  and  there  ho  lay,  unconscious,  in  tho  grasp 
of  a  monster  that  would  never  relax  till  ho  hud  done  his 
work." 

Airs.  Harris  was  at  Savagofs  Station  and  Seven  Pines 
while  tho  light  was  raging.  Hero,  in  tho  primary  hospitals, 
and  under  tho  trees  in  tho  rear  of  tho  carnage,  aho  took 
part  in  scenes,  and  assumed  duties,  which  not  often  fall  to 
her  sox.  Now  aho  was  soothing  patients  under  the  hands 
of  tho  operator  ;  now  preparing  tho  minds  of  "  great, 
noble-looking  men,  officers  and  privates,"  to  submit  to  tho 
amputation  of  an  arm  or  a  leg.  Her  woman's  heart  was 
much  moved  for  a  captain  from  Massachusetts,  who  pleaded 
very  hard  for  his  leg.  "O,  my  wifo  and  children,**  ho  would 
say  (and  he  had  seven),  '*  it  will  kill  them  to  see  me  so  muti 
lated.1*  Kut  it  was  of  110  avail.  Tho  ball  had  shattered  his 
kiiee-joiiit,  and  amputation  was  unavoidable.  So  tho  chlo 
roform  was  pressed  to  his  mouth,  aud  ho  was  takcu  insen 
sible  to  tho  operating  table. 

Her  opinion  of  some  army  chaplains,  notwithstanding 
her  earnest  piety,  docs  not  seem  to  have  been  very  high. 
It  was  tho  night  after  tho  battlo  of  Seven  Pines  ;  and  sho 
had  just  seated  herself,  after  a  most  exhausting  day,  to  a 
cup  of  tea,  "  when  a  groat,  healthy  man,  thcro  to  look  after 
the  sick  and  wounded,  and  a  chaplain,  too,  camo  to  mo, 
saying,  'They  have  just  brought  in  a  soldier,  with  a  leg 
blown  off;  ho  is  in  a  horrible  condition;  can't  you  wash 


188  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAK. 


him  ?  *  I  was  about  to  reply,  '  Can't  you  perform  that 
sacred  office  yourself? '  when  the  thought  t?te  man  that  acts 
so  would  not  be  tender,  checked  mo,  mid  soon  the  duty  was 
over;  but  I  knew  I  'hud  done  it  for  his  burial.'  So  a  grave 
was  dug,  and  we  gave  him  back  to  earth,  but  not  till  I  had 
cut  away  a  lock  of  his  hair  for  his  Massachusetts  mother." 

During  the  first  days  of  July  these  labors  continued,  and 
grew  more  tragical,  before  it  was  known  in  how  tolerable  a 
condition  the  army  was  brought  to  Harrison's  Landing. 
When  she  reached  that  place  —  carried  from  the  Landing  to 
a  wagon  011  a  sailor's  back,  through  mud  knee-deep  —  the 
welcome  she  received  from  the  crowds  of  poor,  war-worn 
soldiers,  who  crowded  the  banks,  was  a  reward  for  all  her 
hardships;. 

.Among  the  sick  and  wounded  at  Harrison's  Landing  and 
the  hospitals  along  James  River  and  at  Fortress  Monroe, 
Mrs.  Harris  labored  through  the  months  of  July  and 
August,  \\  ilh  the  same  earnest  devotion,  the  same  mixture 
of  Christian  zeal  with  practical  and  physical  kindness,  that 
characterized  her  service  elsewhere. 

In  August,  her  attention  was  directed  principally  to 
raising  the  spirits  and  health  of  the  great  number  of 
the  partially  sick,  who  needed  only  rest,  cheerful  words, 
and  palatable  food.  Ovens  were  built,  and  bread  for 
whole  regiments  mixed  and  moulded,  and  baked  by  her 
directions.  Pickles  and  jellies  were  brought  from  Philadel 
phia  in  largo  quantities,  and  distributed  with  the  daily 
ration.  Shirts,  handkerchiefs,  and  socks  were  given  out. 

On  the  20th  August,  she  wrote  from  Fortress  Monroe 
that  she  had  been  busy  as  possible  getting  a  new  hospital 


MRS.    JOITNT    HARRIS.  189 

undor  way,  had  six  hundred  patients  to  begin  with,  and 
nothing  to  feed  them  with  but  tho  stores  of  tho  Ladies' 
Aid  Society.  In  two  days  this  number  was  swelled  to 
fourteen  hundred,  mostly  convalescents.  Very  oppor 
tunely,  as  she  observed,  she  received  sixty  packages  from. 
Now  York  and  Massachusetts. 

During  tho  last  two  weeks  of  August,  she  distributed 
one  hundred  baskets,  seventy-two  barrels,  five  bags,  and 
five  boxed  of  onions ;  eight  barrels  of  apples,  eight  of 
potatoes,  three  of  beets,  three  of  squashes  ;  eighteen 
bushels  of  tomatoes  ;  five  barrels  of  pickles,  one  of  mo 
lasses  ;  two  kegs  of  butter,  six  of  dried  rusk  and  crackers  ; 
eighty  pounds  of  cheese,  and  largo  quantities  of  clothing, 
towels,  farina,  wine,  milk,  and  cocoa. 

Early  in  September  those  sanitary  labors  were  again,  for 
nearly  two  months,  suspended,  and  her  time  was  almost 
wholly  occupied  in  the  care  of  tho  d3riiig  and  wounded,  in 
tho  swiftly-following  and  bloody  engagements  that  com 
menced  with  Jackson's  advance  up  tho  Shciiandoah  Valley, 
and  ended  with  JLeo's  defeat  at  Aiitictuui. 

The  following  extract,  from  a  letter  written  juat  after 
Aiitictam,  is  a  picture  of  her  labors,  and  the  sights  and 
sufferings  through  which  she  moved  during  that  battle 
autumn  :  — 

"Night  was  closing  in  upon  us  —  tho  rain  falling  fast; 
the  sharpshooters  wero  threatening  all  who  ventured  near 
our  wounded  and  dying  on  the  battle-ground  ;  a  lino  of 
battle  in  view,  artillery  in  motion,  litters  and  ambulances 
going  in  all  directions  ;  wounded  picking  their  way,  now 
lying  down  to  rest,  somo  before  they  wero  out  of  the  rango 


19O  W03LEX     OF    THE     WAR. 

of  the  enemy's  guns,  uot  a  few  of  whom  received  their 
severest  wounds  in  these  places  of  imagined  safety  ;  add  to 
this,  inarching  and  countermarching  of  troops  ;  bearers  of 
dispatches  hurrying  to  and  fro;  eager,  anxious  inquirers 
after  the  killed  aud  wounded  ;  and  the  groans  of  the  poor 
sufferers  under  the  surgeons'  hands,  —  and  you  m:iy  form 
some  faint  idea  of  our  position  on  that  eventful  evening. 
Reacliing  a  hospital  but  a  few  removes  from  the  cornfield  in 
which  the  deadliest  of  the  strife  was  waged,  I  found  the 
ground  literally  covered  with  the  dead  and  wounded  — 
barns,  hayricks,  outhouses  of  every  description,  all  full. 
Hero  and  there  a  knot  of  men,  with  a  dim  light  near,  told 
of  amputations  ;  whilst  the  shrieks  and  groans  of  the 
poor  fellows,  lying  all  around,  made  our  hearts  almost  to 
stand  still.  The  rain  fell  upon  their  upturned  faces,  but  it 

was    not    noticed;     bodily    pain    and     menial    angtiiali for 

many  were  brought  to  meet  the  king  of  terrors  face  to 
face,  and  would  have  given  worlds  to  cvado  his  cold 
touch  —  rendered  them  indifferent  to  their  surroundings. 
Most  of  the  sufferers  were  from  General  Meagher'd  Irish 
brigade,  aud  were  louder  in  their  demonstrations  of  feeling 
than  are  the  Germans,  or  our  own  native  born.  AVe  could 
do  little  that  night  but  distribute  wine  and  tea,  and  speak 
comforting  words.  \Vro  were  called  to  pray  with  a  dying 
Christian  ;  and  I  feel  the  grasp  of  his  hand  yut,  as  we  knelt 
around  in  the  rain,  in  the  dark  night,  with  only  the  glimmer 
ing  lights  around  the  operating  tables,  and  looked  up  to  the 
Father  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  for  his  mercy  and  grace  to 
fall  upon  the  dying  man,  and  all  his  comrades  clustering 
round  us  needing  dying  grace.  Then  wo  sang,  c  There  is  rest 


ACRS.     JOHN     IIAltlllS.  191 

for  the  weary/  Miss  G.'s  loud,  clear  voice  leading-.  The 
sound  stopped  the  shrieks  and  groans  of  the  brave  men. 
They  listened.  They  all  seemed  comforted.  It  was  then 
midnight,  or  near  it.  IScforo  the  next  sun  threw  ltd  rays  in 
upon  tlieao  twelve  hundred  wounded  soldiers,  the  darkness 
of  death  had  settled  upon,  eleven  sons,  husbands,  ami  fathers, 
whose  hearts  hail  throbhed  healthfully  with  loving  thoughts 
of  home  and  country  hut  a  few  hours  before.  AVe  remained 
nt  this  hospital  until  tho  evening  of  the  lOUi  ;  we  had  .slept  a 
few  hours  oil  tho  straw  upon  which  our  soldiers  had  lain, 
and  upon  which  their  life-blood,  had  been  poured  out.  ^\Vo 
prepared  tea,  bread  and  butter,  milk  punch,  and  egg-nog  ; 
furnished  rags,  lint,  and  bandages,  as  needed,  and  then 
came  on  to  Krcneh's  Division  Hospital,  where  were  one 
thousand  of  our  wounded,  and  a  number  of  Confederates. 
The  first  night  we  slept  in  our  ambulanee  ;  no  room  in  tho 
small  houso,  tho  only  dwelling  near,  could  be  procured. 
Tho  next  day  was  the  Sabbath.  Tho  sun  shone  brightly  ; 
the  bees  and  tho  birds  wore  joyous  and  busy  ;  a  beautiful 
landscape  spread  out  before  us,  and  we  knew  the  I^ord  of 
the  Sabbath  looked  down,  upon  us.  Hut,  with  all  these 
above  and  around  us,  we  could  see  only  our  suiVeriiig,  un 
complaining  soldiers,  mutilated,  bleeding,  dying.  Almost 
every  hour  I  witnessed  the  going  out  of  some  young  life. 
No  words  can  describe  the  wonderful  endurance  :  not  a 
murmur,  not  a  word  of  complaint  or  regret.  Many  such 
expressions  as  tho  following  have-  been  heard  :  *  Yes,  I  have 
struck  my  last  blow  for  my  country  ;  whether  I  havo  served 
my  country  well  others  may  judge.  I  know  I  love  her 
more  than,  life.'  The  lip  quivered  with  emotion,  and  the 


192  WOMEN    OF    THE     WAR. 

face  was  full  of  meaning,  as  ho  added,  rl  am  done  with  all 
this,  and  must  moot  eternity.  I  have  thought  too  little  of 
the  future.  I  had  a  praying  mother.  O  that  I  might  meet 
her  !  '  Another,  a  mcro  youth,  with  full,  round  face  and 
mild  blue  eyes,  said,  f  Hold  my  hand  till  I  die.  I  am 
trying  to  think  of  my  Saviour  ;  but  think  of  my  mother  and 
father  ;  their  hearts  will  break.'  Another,  in  reply  to  tho 
remark,  r  Well,  my  brother,  you  have  fought  a  good  light; 
wo  thank  3'ou  for  what  you  have  done  and  s  title  red  for  us  ; 
and  now  we  want  to  talk  to  you  about  One  who  *  uttered 
and  died  for  you  and  for  us,  eighteen  hundred  and  sixty- 
two  years  ago,  and  now  lives  to  intercede  for  us.  lie  is 
near  us  now,  and  knows  all  your  wants.  Shall  we  ask  him 
to  abide  with  you,  for  tho  clay  is  closing?'  Putting  his 
hand  (he  had  but  one)  to  his  eyes — 'It  is  growing  dark  ; 
can  it  be  death?  '  !<\>r  a  time  emotion  was  too  big  for  utter 
ance  ;  but,  recovering  himself,  he  said,  'I  came  into  tho 
army  to  die  if  need  be,  but  did  not  think  it  would  como  so 
soon — my  first  battle.  O,  my  wife  and  children!  O 
God,  have  mercy  upon  them  !  '  As  \vo  left  him,  his  earnest 
'Mother,  come  soon  again,*  fell  upon  my  heart.  When 
next  seen,  I  turned  from  him  with  sorrow  inexpressible. 
The  straightened,  defined  form,  covered  over  with  a 
blanket,  told  of  three  orphaned  children  and  a  striekcn 
widow.  The  love  of  home,  and  thoughtful  care  of  mothers, 
sisters,  and  fathers,  aro  manifested  most  touchiiigly,  espe 
cially  by  our  Xew  Knglaiid  soldiers  :  perhaps  this  maybe  true 
of  all  from  rural  districts,  in  tho  several  states.  Tho  loss 
of  a  strong  arm  or  leg  is  a  mother's  loss.  '  Who  will 
support  her  if  I  am  disabled?  Who  will  cut  her  wood  and. 


MRS.     JOI1N    HARRIS.  193 

fetch  her  water?'  I  just  recall  an  instance  of  filial  devo 
tion  on  tho  part  of  a  young  boy,  who  sickened  and  died  on 
his  way  to  Poolesvillo  tho  last  month.  Ho  wad  extremely 
delicate,  almost  childish  in  appearance  and  expression. 
When  told  that  ho  must  bo  very  quiet,  that  his  physician 
thought  ho  should  have  rested  at  Washington,  and  not  como 
on  with,  his  regiment,  ho  replied,  c  Yea,  I  thought  I  ought  to 
stay  there  ;  I  felt  awful  bad  and  weak  like  ;  but  it  seemed  so 
much  like  giving  up.'  Then  ho  burst  into  tears,  and  hid 
delicate  framo  quivered  with  emotion,  as  he  added,  f  My 
mother  in  weakly,  and  is  trying  to  cducato  my  little  brother 
and  sister,  and  I  helped  her ;  and  now  that  I  must  dio, 
what  will  she  do?'  After  a  time  ho  grow  calm,  and  said, 
'  I  will  try  and  leave  her  where  sho  said  she  left  ino  all  tho 
time  —  in  the  arms  of  our  heavenly  Father.  If  I  dio,  he  can 
and  will  take  caro  of  her  and  her  children.'  All  this  was 
said  with  many  interruptions,  for  ho  was  very  weak.  He 
languished  a  few  days,  and  slept  in  Jesus.  This  is  not  an 
uncommon  experience. 

"Passing  over  tho  battle-ground  of  tho  9th,  such  sights  as 
might  cause  tho  general  pulse  of  life  to  stand  still  met  our 
eyes. 

"Stretched  out  in  every  direction,  as  far  as  tho  eye  could 
reach,  were  tho  dead  and  dying.  Much  tho  larger  propor 
tion  must  have  died  instantly  —  their  positions,  some  with 
ramrod  in  hand  to  load,  others  with  gun  in  hand  as  if  about 
to  aim,  others  still  having  just  discharged  their  murderous 
load.  Some  were  struck  in  tho  act  of  eating.  One  poor 
fellow  still  held  a  potato  in  his  grasp.  Another  clutched 
a  piece  of  tobacco ;  others  held  their  canteens  as  if  to 
13 


194  W03HEN-    OF    THE    WAR. 

drink  ;  one  grasped  a  letter.  Two  were  strangely  poised 
upon  a  fence,  having  been  killed  in  the  act  of  leaping  it. 
How  my  heart  sickcna  at  the  recollection  of  the  appearance 
of  these  men,  who  had  left  their  homes  in  all  the  pride  of 
manly  beauty. 

"When  they  kissed  their  loved  ones,  and  bade  farewell, 
a  gnsh  of  pride,  mixed  Tvith  the  sadness  of  tho  parting, 
may  have  swelled  tho  hearts  of  mothers,  wives,  and  sisters, 
as  they  gilded  upon  tho  manly  forms,  in  their  bright,  new 
uniforms,  and  for  a  time  tho  perils  of  tho  soldier  may  havo 
been  forgotten.  Now,  how  changed !  Begrimed  with 
dust,  heads  and  bodies  bloated  and  blackened,  a  spectacle 
of  sickening  horror,  objects  of  loathing,  the  worm  already 
preying  xipoix  them  !  " 

Other  Jettons,  written  in  October,  give  full  accounts  of 
tho  deaths  of  various  soldiers,  whoso  devotion  and  excel 
lence  of  character  had  interested  Airs.  Harris,  ^vhoso 
sufferings  were  soothed  by  her  gentle  and  Christian  con 
solations,  and  who  finally  died  in  full  faith,  glad  to  havo 
s  cite  red  so  much  for  their  country,  and  hopeful  when  tho 
summons  of  rclj.iscs  reached  them. 

These  letters  of  Mrs.  Harris  from  tho  Peninsula  and  tho 
Potomac,  in  18G2,  -were  published  and  extensively  read  in 
tho  loyal  communities  of  tho  North,  and  had  a  great  effect 
in  increasing  her  usefulness,  and  that  of  tho  society  of 
which  she  was  secretary.  Sho  displayed  remarkable  fit 
ness  for  hospital  and  sanitary  labors.  Her  usefulness  in 
tho  trying  duties  she  fulfilled  was  abundantly  evinced  by 
the  testimony  of  surgeons,  officers,  anc".  soldiers,  in  tho  field 
and  in  tho  hospitals  ;  and  now  very  lar.je  supplies  were  sent 


srns.   JOHX   HARRIS.  195 

directly  to  Mrs.  Harris,  at  tho  front,  without  passing' 
through  tho  rooms  of  the  Ladies*  Aid  Society  of  Philadelphia. 

During  tho  period  from  October,  1862,  to  May,  1863, 
although  but  ono  great  battle  took  placo  in  Virginia,  Mrs. 
Harris  continued  her  hospital  labors  with  unabated  zeal  and 
devotion.  At  110  time  in  tho  long  struggle  was  sanitary 
service  more  needed  ;  for  tho  winter  of  18(»2— 3  was  in  this 
war  what  that  of  1777-8  was  to  the  Continental  army 
under  Washington.  Tho  troops  had  been  worn  down  by 
tho  unexampled  fatigues  of  tho  fall  campaign,  and  when 
tho  cold  weather  set  in,  sickness  multiplied  at  a  rato  so 
alarming,  as  to  threaten,  at  olio  time,  tho  very  organization, 
of  the  iiruiy. 

Between  thirty  and  forty  thousand  men  were  in  the  sick 
and  convalescent  camps,  that  extended  from  tho  Rappahan- 
iiock  to  tho  Potomac.  Thirty  thousand  more  lay  in.  tho 
military  hospitals  in  and  around  Washington.  Mrs.  Harris 
was  laboring,  during  tho  month  of  November,  to  direct  the 
attention  of  government  to  tho  destitution  and  suffering  in 
these  convalescent  camps  ;  and  finally  Congress  was  aroused 
to  action,  and  some  slow  and  inadequate  remedies  were 
applied.  Writing  on  tho  subject,  in  December,  sho  sa3rs, 
"I  am  at  present  exercised  in  mind  and  body  to  a  fearful 
degree.  Think  of  tho  cold  weather  of  tho  past  week,  and 
of  hundreds  of  our  b<>3rs,  many  of  whom  wo  had  nursed  at 
Bolivar  and  Smoke  town,  who  came  hero  to  join  their  regi 
ments,  being  thrown  into  this  camp  to  suffer  and  dio.  So 
it  has  been.  Fifteen  of  those  in  whom  I  was  interested  have 
died — shall  I  write  it? —  of  starvation  and  exposure,  within 
three  weeks,  and  that  under  the  shadow  of  our  Capitol." 


196  WOMEN"    OF    TirE     WAR. 

Early  in  January  tho  command  of  tho  army  passed  into 
tho  bauds  of  General  Hooker,  and  by  degrees  a  better 
spirit  was  infused  into  the  wholo  Union  force.  But  thero 
was  much  suffering  during  the  winter  from  cold  and  sick 
ness.  Picket  duty  was  very  heavy,  and  the  sick  at  all  times 
abundant.  Airs.  Harris  was  for  many  weeks  established 
at  tho  Laccy  House,  whero  her  self-imposed  duties  wcro 
onerous  and  varied. 

She  procured  a  stove,  some  corn-meal  and  ground  gin 
ger,  and  with  wino  and  crackers  prepared,  every  day,  and 
often  twice  in  a  day,  a  large  supply  of  hot  ginger  panada. 
for  tho  pickets  as  they  came  in  from  tho  lino  of  tho  Rap- 
pahaimock.  The  boys  were  extremely  fond  of  this  prep 
aration,  and  wero  drawn  up  in  lino  in  front  of  her  head 
quarters,  each  receiving  in  his  tin  cup,  from  her  own 
hands  often,  tho  wholesome  and  stimulating  preparation. 
It  will  never  bo  known  how  many  a  poor  fellow,  coming 
ill  from  his  post,  whero  ho  had  stood  for  tho  weary  hours  of 
tin  inclement  night  in  the  mud  and  sleet  of  a  Virginia  win 
ter,  was  saved  from  pneumonia  by  this  simple  expedient. 

Tho  following  picture  of  Sabbath  morning  lifo  at  tho 
Laccy  House  will  illustrate  tho  manner  in  which  her  tiino 
was  spent  during  that  winter  and  spring  :  — 

"  Could  you  havo  looked  in  upon  us  at  breakfast  timo 
this  day  of  sacred  rest,  your  cyo  would  havo  fallen  on 
scenes  and  groupings  all  out  of  harmony  with  its  holy  uses. 
One  cooking-stovo  pushed  to  its  utmost  capacity,  groaning 
beneath  tho  weight  of  gruel,  coffee,  and  tea,  around  it  clus 
tered  soldiers,  shivering,  drenched  to  the  skin,  hero  and 
there  a  poor  fellow  coiled  upon  tho  floor,  too  full  of  pain  and 


ams.   JOHN   HAUUIS.  197 

weariness  to  boar  his  own  weight.  Seated  along  the  table, 
as  closely  as  possible,  were  others,  whose  expressions  of 
thanks  told  how  grateful  the  simple  repast  was  —  bread, 
stewed  fruit,  and  cofteo.  All  alike  were  wet  and  cold, 
having  been  exposed  throughout  the  night  to  the  driving 
snow  and  rain,  the  most  uncomfortable  one  of  the  season. 
Two  poor  boys  groan  under  the  pressure  of  pain  ;  they  are- 
carried  to  the  chamber,  their  wet  stockings  removed,  feet 
bathed  with  camphor,  apico  tea  given  them,  and  an  ambulance 
sent  for.  No\v  wo  return  to  our  room  of  all-work.  The 
vapor  from  the,  clothing  of  the  soldiers,  mingled  with  the 
steam  from  the  coffee  and  gruel,  condenses  oil  my  glasses  ; 
the  eyo  waters,  too,  and  the  lungs  are  oppressed  with  tho 
heavy  atmosphere,  and  for  a  moment  I  am  ready  to  give 
up  ;  but  only  for  a  moment.  Suddenly  the  word  e  halt '  id 
heard,  and  an  instant  after  such  a  chorus  of  coughs  smites 
upon  our  cars,  and  each  one  seems  to  say,  *  "What  thy  hand 
iiiideth  to  do,  do  it  with  all  thy  might/  Seventy-two  of 
our  defenders  stood  there  in  tho  raw  March  wind,  in 
need  of  something  to  keep  tho  powers  of  life  in  action. 
Thoroughly  wet,  icicles  on  their  blankets  after  a  sleepless 
night,  a  march  of  from  three  to  five-  miles  beforo  thcru, 
sinking  every  step  over  shoe-top  in  mud  and  slush,  — could 
you  have  seen  tho  eager  pressing  forward,  tin  cup  in  hand, 
to  secure  tho  coveted  portion,  simple  as  it  was,  you  would 
feel  that  God's  own  day  was  honored." 

These  labors  wcro  continued  till  late  in  April,  when 
tho  advance  across  tho  river  commenced.  Sometimes  Mrs. 
Harris  acted  as  apothecary,  sometimes  as  physician,  con 
stantly  as  nurse  and  Christian  friend. 


198  WOMEJf    OF    TELE    WAB. 

The  preparation  of  the  ginger  panada,  or  "bully  soup," 
as  the  soldiers  called  it,  was  kept  up  as  long  aa  the  north 
bank  of  the  river  was  picketed.  She  continued  to  visit 
those  who  were  very  aick,  and  especially  all  she  heard  of 
who  could  not  recover,  and  labored,  iii  her  simple  and 
direct  way,  to  fit  them,  if  possible,  for  the  groat  change. 

Letters,  full  and  graphic,  descriptive  of  all  these  scenes 
and  labors,  were  constantly  forwarded  to  the  Ladies'  Aid 
Society,  and,  when,  published  and  extensively  circulated, 
aroused  a  wide-spread  sympathy  for  the  heroic  sufferers, 
and  admiration  for  the  no  less  heroic  laborers  in  the  army 
hospitals  and  at  the  front. 

Kurly  in  May  came  the  battle  of  Chaiicellorsville,  and 
for  a  few  weeks  the  letters  of  Mrs.  Harris  were  less  fre 
quent,  so  completely  wus»  her  time  absorbed  by  the  constant 
and  painful  demands  upon  her  to  act  as  nurse  and  Christian 
comforter  to  the  ten  thousand  wouudcd  in  that  fearful 
series  of  engagements. 

The  extent  and  degree  of  that  suffering  is  best  under 
stood  from  an  extract  from  a  letter  of  May  18. 

"After  seeing  Mrs.  li.  and  Airs.  L.  off,  we  filled 
two  ambulances  with  bread  and  butter,  prepared  stewed 
fruit,  egg-nog,  lemons,  oranges,  cheese,  shirts,  drawers, 
stockings,  and  handkerchiefs,  and  went  out  to  meet  a  train 
of  ambulances  bearing  the  wounded  from  United  States 
Ford.  Reaching  Stonenian*s  Station,  where  we  expected 
to  meet  the  train,  wo  learned  we  were  a  half  hour  too  late, 
but  could  overtake  them  ;  so  wo  pressed  forward,  and  found 
ourselves  iu  the  rear  of  a  long  procession  of  ono  hundred 
and  two  ambulances.  The  road  being  narrow,  steep,  and 


MBS.    JOIIN    II  Alt  It  IS.  19D 

most  difficult,  wo  could  not  pass,  and  so  wcro  obliged  to 
follow,  feeling  every  jolt  and  jar  for  our  poor  suffering 
ones,  whoso  wounds  had  just  reached  that  point  when  tho 
slightest  motion  is  ngoiiy. 

"When  this  sad  procession  halted  near  tho  hospital  of  tho 
Sixth  army  corps,  wo  prepared  to  minister  to  tho  sufferers. 
Some  gentlemen  of  tho  Christian.  Commission  were  there  to 
assist  us.  No  pen  can  describe  tho  scene.  Most  of  these 
sufibrcrs  had  been  wounded  on  tho  3d  instant. 

ct  Amputations  and  dressings  had  been  hurriedly  gono 
over,  and  then  much  neglected,  necessarily  so,  for  tho  rebel 
surgeons  had  more  than  enough  to  occupy  them  in  tho  caro 
of  their  own  wounded.  You  know  wo  left  most  of  our 
wounded  011  tho  right  in  their  hands. 

"By  day  and  by  night  I  sec  their  poor  mutilated  limbs, 
rod  with  inflammation,  bones  protruding,  worms  rioting  as 
they  were  held  over  tho  sides  of  tho  ambulance  to  catch  tho 
cooling  breeze  !  Those  anguished  faces  —  what  untold  suf 
fering  they  bespoke  !  Many  a  lip  quivered,  and  eye  filled 
with  tears,  when  approached  with  words  of  sympathy  ;  and 
not  a  few  told  how  they  had  prayed  for  death  to  end  their 
sufferings,  as  they  wcro  dushcd  from  side  to  side,  often 
rolling,  in  their  helplessness,  over  each  other,  as  they  were 
driven  those  twenty  weary  miles.  ^\ro  camo  to  one  poor 
fellow  with  a  ball  in  his  brca.st.  His  companion,  who  was 
utterly  helpless,  having  been  wounded  in  both  arms,  had 
rolled  on  him,  and  was  thrown  off  only  by  a  lurch  of  tho 
ambulance.  When  wo  carried  him.  some  egg-nog,  ho 
drunk  it  eagerly,  and  asked  to  bo  raised  up,  stopping  at 
intervals  to  recover  breath ;  but  beforo  his  turn  camo  to 


200  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

bo  lifted  from  tho  ambulance,  tha  mortal  had  put  on  im 
mortality,  ami  liia  wife  and  fivo  children,  left  to  plead  with. 
God  tho  promises  mudo  to  tho  fatherless  and  widow. 

w  "Wo  havo  sent  largo  amounts  of  hospital  supplies  to 
Mrs.  Husband  and  Mrs.  McKay,  in  tho  Third  corps.  Alias 
Dix  uskctl  me  to  attciid  to  the  distribution  of  a.  half  barrel 
of  eggs  and  some  oranges,  and  they  wero  divided  between, 
these  ladies,  who  are  both  admirable  women. 

"For  six:  mornings  \vo  havo  prepared  fivo  gallons  of 
custard,  using  six  dozen  eggs,  and  about  eight  gallons  of 
pudding.  The  surgeons  tell  us  to  give  as  much  whole 
some,  nutritious  food  to  tho  wounded  as  they  will  cat. 
You  may  judge  how  completely  our  timo  is  filled  up.  Our 
evening  meetings  arc  now  so  largely  attended  that  wo  havo 
been  obliged  to  resort  to  tho  main  building.  They  aro 
temporarily  disturbed,  at  iiino  o'clock,  by  tho  cry,  Tall  in, 
third  relief,'  when  the  heavy  tread  of  men,  the  clatter  of 
swords,  and  the  rustle  of  the  old  relief  taking  their  places 
aro  heard.  ~\Vo  find  it  difHcuit  to  close  these  services,  so 
full  of  enjoyment  aro  they  to  tho  soldiers." 

These  religious  meetings  were  continued  for  three 
months,  and  wero  very  numerously  attended.  Mrs.  Harris 
assumed  tho  whole  responsibility,  occasionally  calling  upon 
clergymen  and  others,  whom,  she  knew,  to  load  the  devo 
tions  of  llu  audience.  Her  hospital  labors  continued,  as 
described  above,  after  tho  battles  of  tho  Peninsula  and 
An  tic  tain,  with  occasional  flying  trips  to  "Washington  and 
other  points  in  tho  vicinity,  to  look  up  and  forward  tho 
boxes  of  tho  Ladies*  Aid  Society.  Late  in  June  and  oil 
the  first  days  of  July,  wo  find  her,  now  in  Harrisburg  and 


MBS.    JOHN    HARRIS.  201 

soon  after  in.  \Vashington,  sharing  tho  general  uncertainty 
as  to  where  tho  struggle,  that  all  knew  to  bo  impending, 
must  take  place,  yet  ready,  •with,  her  sanitary  stores,  to 
commence  labors  at  once. 

On  tho  3d  of  July  sho  was  in  AVushingtoii,  and  besought 
of  tho  government,  with,  tears,  permission  to  carry  forward 
to  Gettysburg  a  car-loud  of  supplies,  but  was  advised  that 
it  wns  unsafe  to  go  to  the  front.  Talcing  somo  chloroform 
and  stimulants,  sho  left  IStiltimoro  on  tho  4th,  and  pene 
trated  as  near  as  possible  to  tho  scene  of  tho  conflict, 
ministering  as  much  as  in  her  power  to  tho  stream  of 
wounded  that  filled  tho  cars,  and  was  now  rapidly  swelling 
•with  each  arrival  from  Gettysburg.  Hundreds  of  tho  aol- 
dicrs  greeted  her,  sho  Bay  a,  with  tho  kindest  expressions. 

On  tho  9th  she  writes  from  Gettysburg  these  few  hurried 
words  :  — 

"Am  full  of  work  and  sorrow.  Tho  appcirunco  of 
things  hero  beggars  all  description.  Our  cleat}  lie  un- 
buried,  and  our  wounded  neglected.  Numbers  have  been 
drowned  by  tho  sudden  rising  of  the  waters  in  tho  creek 
bottoms,  and  thousands  of  them  are  still  naked  and  starv 
ing.  God  pity  us  !  — pity  us  !  " 

On  the  day  following  sho  gives  a  fuller  account,  saying 
sho  has  been  on  tho  field  of  blood  since-  tho  1th,  and  has 
socu  s  u  Her  ing  of  tho  most  fearful  character. 

On  tho  12th  Mrs.  Harris  and  another  lady,  finding  sup 
plies  in  great,  abundance  at  Gettysburg,  and  a  lurgo  number 
of  assistants  arriving  daily,  concluded  that  they  could  do 
more  good,  by  following  tho  advanco  of  General  Afeade, 
and  attending  to  tho  fresh  cases  of  the  wounded  and  sick. 


202  AVOMJEX  OF  TILE 

\V~ith  two  ambulances,  ono  loaded  with  medical  stores  and 
the  other  with  food  and  clothing-,  they  followed  the  army  in. 
its  rapid  marches  for  nearly  a  month.  Severe  skirmishing 
was  in  progress  much  of  the  time,  and  great  numbers  wcro 
taken  sick.  At  AVarrenton  the  inhabitants  refused  them 
their  kitchens,  and  they  prepared  food  for  the  sick  soldiers 
in  tho  street,  feeding1  the  hungry  and  clothing  the  naked  in 
barns,  by  the  wayside,  in  churches,  in  cars,  wherever  they 
could  find  the  suffering  soldiers. 

Her  letters,  during  tbia  month  of  labor,  wcro  neither  long 
nor  frequent.  Yet  she  says  it  was  a  real  trial  to  her  to  bo  so 
summary  when  so  many  moving  incidents  pressed  upon  her 
mind,  and  tingled  at  the  tips  of  her  fingers. 

In  August  "svc  find  her  again  at  "Warren  ton,  giving  out 
supplies  for  four  hospitals  recently  opened  there,  and  in 
structing  tbc  doctors  and  surgeons  in  tho  homely  science  of 
preparing  farina,  corn  starch,  and  panada  for  tho  sick. 

Sho  says  there  was  hardly  a  family  at  "NVarrcntou  but 
mourned  one  dead  at  Gettysburg.  Tho  extreme  heat,  and 
long-protracted  and  heavy  service,  had  produced  great 
prostration  in  many  who  were  not  suffering  from  acute 
disease.  The  water,  too,  was  in  some  places  very  impure. 
She  sent  to  Philadelphia  for  a  largo  number  of  empty 
phials,  and  filling  these  with  such  stimulants  as  tho  doctors 
advised,  left  them  at  the  head  of  each  of  tho  suffering  sol 
diers,  thus  saving  many  lives,  and  alleviating  much  misery. 

Early  in  September  she  found  herself  ono  evening  so 
exhausted  by  labor,  travel,  discomfort,  and  tho  extreme 
heat,  that  she  was  for  a  little  time  fixed  in  tho  determina 
tion  to  seek  health  and  repose  among  the  mountain  breezes 


MRS.     JOIIM     II.VURI3.  203 

and  cool  streams  of  the  Alleghanies.  But  the  next  morn 
ing-  being1  somewhat  restored  by  sleep,  sho  was  actively 
forming  plans  for  farther  labors  of  relief  and  comfort  for 
"  tho  bravo  bojrs."  After  breakfasting  on  a  piece  of  army 
bread,  and  some  jelly,  eaten  with  a  rusty  knife  and  an  old 
tin  tea-spoon,  t>ho  heard  that  &omo  cavalrymen,  the  Sixth 
Michigan,  wero  not  fjir  distant,  and  greatly  in  need  of  aid. 
After  much  difficulty  and  delay  in  crossing  a  swollen  crock, 
she  was  hailed  with  joy  by  all  who  knew  tho  humane  nature 
of  her  errand.  She  found  aixty  t»ick  men,  wholly  without 
attendance  or  food.  Tho  surgeon  iu  charge  had  been  pros 
trated  with  camp  fever  —  tho  hospital  steward  and  tho  cook 
were  both  sick.  They  had  camped  in  a  low,  marshy  place  ; 
and,  as  tho  men  wore  exhausted  by  long  marches,  irregular 
meals,  and  sleepless  nights,  they  yielded  in  great  numbers 
to  tho  miasm  of  tho  swamp,  and  tho  glare-  of  tho  sun,  un 
broken  by  any  friendly  shade.  They  had  eaten  nothing  for 
several  days  but  a  few  mouldy  pieces  of  hard-tack,  and 
dt-ank  black  coffee,  boiled  iu  their  tin  cups. 

]\lrs.  Harris  drives  up  to  where  a  little  camp  kettle  is 
hanging  over  a  low  fire,  and  linda  tho  whole  cooking  equip 
ment  of  these  sixty  or  seventy  sick  men  consists  of  a  small 
sheet-iron  stove,  a  small  tea-kettle,  txvo  tin  pans  holding  a 
gallon  each,  one  small  water-bucket,  a  few  spoons,  and  a 
broken  earthen  dish. 

Sho  collects  all  tho  canteens  belonging  to  tho  men,  and 
Bonds  them  with  tho  bucket  to  tho  spring,  replenishes  tho 
fire,  gets  tho  bag  of  farina  from  tho  ambulance,  as  also  tho 
sugar,  dried  rusk,  nutmegs,  brandy,  butter,  milk,  and 
flavoring  extracts.  When  tho  water  was  brought  sho  tilled 
up  tho  vessels  and  sont  them  for  more. 


204  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

Then  tho  horse-buckot,  from  the  ambulance,  was  cleaned, 
and  partly  filled  with  dried  rusk,  a  few  spoonfuls  of  butter, 
a  half  bottle  of  brandy,  four  nutmegs,  and  boiling  water 
poured  over  tho  whole,  and  tho  panada  was  made. 

While  this  was  being  distributed,  and,  as  there  were  but  a 
few  tin  cups,  but  few  could  bo  supplied  at  a  time,  tho 
largest  kettleful  of  farina  was  boiling. 

Then  she  adds,  "  If  you  could  Imvo  seen  the  tears  and 
heard  tho  thanks  of  these  sick  braves,  you  would  not 
•wonder  that  I  remain,  hero  day  after  day." 

Soon  after  this,  Mrs.  Harris  returned  homo  for  a  few  days 
of  rest;  but  on  tho  24th  September  wo  find  her  at  C«il- 
pepper,  spending  her  days  in  preparing  food  for  tho  sick, 
of  which  she  says  there  were  not  less  than  four  hundred  in 
the  four  hospitals.  Remaining  a  few  days  at  this  post  of 
duty,  eho  returned  to  Philadelphia  early  in  October;  and, 
after  advising  with  tho  officers  of  tho  society,  it  is  decided 
that  she  is  to  go  west  of  tho  mountains,  and  labor  for  tho 
lives  and  comfort  of  tho  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands 
whoso  hopes,  health,  and  happiness  had  been  crushed  under 
tho  iron  wheel  of  Avar. 

Two  groat  armies  had  marched  and  countermarched,  for 
nearly  a  3'car,  through  tho  counties  of  Tennessee  that  aro 
adjacent  to  tho  Nushvillo  and  Chattanooga  Railroad.  Rosc- 
crans,  after  his  great  battle  of  Stone  River,  had  pressed 
upon  his  antagonist,  and  partly  by  force,  but  mainly  by 
stratagem,  had  driven  him  out  of  Middle  Tennessee,  and 
thrown,  him.  across  tho  river  of  that  name,  into  Northern 
Georgia. 

There,  on  the  19th  and  20th  of  September,  a  long  and 


MRS.  join*  HARRIS.  205 

bloody  contest  Imd  taken  plu.ce  on  the  slopes  of  Lookout 
Mountain,  and  in  tho  valley  of  tho  Chickamauga  below,  for 
possession  of  tho  roads  leading  to  Chattanooga.  The  Union 
forco  was  overpowered,  and  driven  back  to  Chattanooga, 
taking  a  considerable  part  of  their  wounded  with  them, 
but  leaving  many  in  tho  eiiemy'3  hands. 

Communication  with  tho  rear  was  greatly  interrupted. 
Supplies  could  not  bo  forwarded,  and  horses  and  mulca 
wcro  dying  by  tho  hundred  every  day  in  the  mountain 
passes,  all  tho  way  from  Tulltdioum  to  Chattanooga. 

Kefugces,  of  nil  ages  und  both  sexes,  mid  every  shade  of 
color  and  degree  of  intelligence,  were  crowded  into  Nash 
ville,  and  tho  various  towns  along  tho  road  to  Chattanooga. 
Most  of  these  wretched  peoplo  were  poor  and  destitute  to 
tho  last  degree. 

Tho  Ladies'  Aid  Society,  of  which  Mrs.  Harris  was  sec- 
rotary,  was  not  confined  in  its  operations  to  0110  army,  or 
one  class  of  sullorers.  A  noiseless  channel  for  tho  distri 
bution  of  genuine  charities,  its  principle  of  action  from 
tho  timo  it  was  organized,  in  April,  1801,  till  tho  Procla 
mation  of  PGUCG,  w:iy  to  ruliiivo  any  uuftbriiig,  in  any  part 
of  tho  land,  that  arose  out  of  tho  state  of  war,  and  in  this 
noble  mission  to  "sow  hosido  all  waters/'  A  signal  of  dis 
tress  in  any  quarter,  whether  from  a  provost  guard  at  a 
fort,  tho  captivo  in  his  prison,  tho  soldier  on  tho  field,  tho 
mutilated  but  patient  hero  in  tho  hospital,  tho  refugee 
from  starvation  and  death,  tho  Chorokeo  in  his  devas 
tated  fields,  tho  freedmaii  in  his  destitution,  oven  tho  bleed 
ing  rebel  solder,  alike  called  forth  tho  sjrmpathies  and 
shared  tho  bounties  of  this  association. 


206  WOMEN     OP    THE     "WAR. 

As  transportation  was  slow  and  difficult,  tho  Ladies'  Aid 
Society  could  not  forward  to  tho  sufferers  in  Tennessee  those 
supplies  which  they  had  so  freely  sent  to  tho  Potomac  army  ; 
and  when  JVIrs.  Harris  left  for  Nashville,  in  tho  middle  of 
October,  she  was  supplied  with  money  from  the  treasury 
of  the  society,  and  a  few  boxes  of  tho  most  portable  sani 
tary  articles,  to  bo  used  according-  to  her  discretion.  In  two 
days  after  her  arrival  she  commenced  her  labors  of  lovo 
among"  tho  Union  refugees  —  that  largo  class  of  tho  misera 
bly  poor  who  had  migrated  from  tho  pino  barrens  of  North 

Carolina,  and  settled  on  tho  mountain  sides  nnd  in  tho 
obscure  caves  of  tho  Allcghany  and  Cumberland  ranges. 
In  tho  days  of  peace  and  comparative  plenty,  these  people 
were  poor.  But  when  tho  whirlwind  of  war  swept  through 
their  secluded  valleys  ;  when  tho  once  united  and  harmo 
nious  communities  were  divided  into  bitter  factions  ;  — 

*'  Wlu-n  the  trial-ion's   music  thrill.-* 
To  tlu-  heart  of  the.  lone  hilts  ; 
When  the  spear  in  conflict  shakes, 
Anil  the  strong  I. nice,  shivering,  breaks  ;  " 

then  want  and  famine  overtook  these  people  as  an  armed 
man,  and  their  condition  became  truly  pitiable. 

ff  It  is  a  very  dark  picture,"  writes  Mrs.  Harris,  "  maclo  up 
of  miserable  looking  women  and  old  men,  with  naked  chil 
dren  of  all  ages.  Many  como  hero  to  die,  no  provision 
being  made  for  them  other  than  tho  food  and  shelter 
afforded  by  government.  After  herding  together  indis 
criminately  in  some  dirty  warcroom,  or  unfinished,  unfur 
nished  tenement,  in  ill-ventilated  apartments,  they  bccomo 


MRS.     JOHN     HARRIS.  207 

nil  easy  proy  to  that  foo  of  all  tho  ill-clad  ami  ill-fe<l  — 
typhus  fever.  It  conies  in  tho  form  of  a  chill,  followed  by 
fever ;  and  this  is  followed  l>y  jabbering  idiocy,  Avith  no 
great  suffering',  except  to  sympathizers.  The  mind  of  tho 
sick  0110  i.s  filled  with  old  homo  scenes  ;  ghastly  smiles, 
more  saddening  by  far  than  tears,  play  over  wan  and  hag 
gard  faces  ;  tho  patient  sinks,  iu  a  few  days  fills  a  govern 
ment  coffin,  and  is  carried  to  a  nameless  grave.  Going 
into  a,  long,  dark  room,  on  tho  ground  floor,  in  nil  unfin 
ished  mammoth  hotel,  now  uacd  ua  barracks,  we  found  in 
tho  foreground  somo  half  doxeii  women  Avith  a.  crowd  of 
children,  crouching  around  ti  smoking  stove  ;  tho  women  in 
tattered,  dirty  garments,  their  vacant,  listless  expression 
seeming  to  say,  c  \\ro  nro  only  poor  white  trash.'  Tho 
children,  dressed  in  hospital  shirts,  —  no  other  garments,  • — 
would  have  looked  comical  had  their  poor  little  faces  been 
hid  ;  these  wero  so  unlike-  careless  childhood  that  AVO  could 
only  look  and  Avonder  if  auy  that  surrounded  our  Saviour 
Avhen  ho  took  them  in  his  arms  and  blessed  them  wero  liko 
these.  In  tho  background  wero  beds,  so  closo  as  scarcely 
to  admit  a  passage  between  them.  On  one  of  tho  beds  lay 
a.  sick  old  man,  moaning  ;  still  farther  on,  a  young  Avoman 
in  tho  last  stage  of  rapid  consumption.  Two  of  these 
homeless  sick  had  that  morning  found  homes  from  which 
they  Avill  never  bo  driven.  Tho  wretched  inmates  told  us 
they  Avero  *  right  smart  better  off  then  than  they  had 
been.'  They  made-  110  complaints." 

Among  theso  unhappy  people  Mrs.  Harris  labored  for 
moro  than  a  month.  Sho  watched  with  the  sick,  and 
prayed  with  thoso  about  to  die.  Sho  assembled  them  in 


2O8  WOMEN    OF    TIIE    WAR. 

some  largo  room,  or,  when  the  weather  "would  admit,  in 
tho  open  air,  and  engaged  sorno  Christian  speaker  to  hold 
before  them  the  model  of  Him  who  knows  our  sorrows,  and 
is  acquainted  with  all  human  griefs  ;  who  was  himself  home 
less,  and  had  not  where  to  lay  his  head.  Not  confining 
her  hihors  to  tho  refugees,  Mrs.  Harris  visited  various 
hospitals  in  Nashville,  and  was  able  to  do  a  great  deal  for 
the  comfort  of  those  who  were  about  to  bo  sent  forward  to 
Louisville,  011  their  way  homeward. 

In  November  wo  find  her  in  Louisville,  communicating 
with  the  towns  in  the  North-\Vcsteni  States,  and  collecting 
tho  materials  for  a  general  thanksgiving  dinner  in  Nash 
ville.  Having  obtained  largo  supplies  for  this  purpose,  she 
did  not  stay  to  see  tho  soldiers  enjoy  their  luxuries,  but 
pressed  forward  with  relief  to  tho  suffering  and  starving 
in  Bridgeport  and  Chattanooga.  Two  weeks  later  sho 
wrote  from  Chattanooga,  where  her  labors  for  tho  wounded 
were  similar  to  thoso  for  the  Potomac  army,  of  which  a  full 
recital  has  been  given  ;  but  sho  saw  moro  horror,  and  agony, 
and  death,  during  her  three  months  here,  than  sho  had  ever 
seen  in  her  tvholo  experience  in.  tho  East. 

"As  I  write,  an  ambulance  passes,  bearing  tho  remains 
of  four  heroes  of  tho  Into  battles  ;  all  of  them  full  of  hopo 
when  I  crime  here,  and,  though  wounded,  talking  only  of 
victory ;  one  telling  how  vexed  ho  felt  when  tho  bullet 
struck  him,  half  "way  up  tho  hill  ;  another  rejoicing  that 
ho  got  to  the  top  ;  another,  that  ho  grasped  the  flag,  and 

held  it  nloft  nearly  nt  tho  top is  euro  tho  old  'Stars  and 

Stripes'  sa\v  tho  top,  if  ho  didn't.  And  so  they  talked,  for 
days,  only  of  their  country's  triumph  ;  but  a  change  passed 


MRS,     JOIIN    HARRIS.  209 

over  them.  Gangrene  was  commencing  its  ravages,  and 
they  wero  carried  from  their  comrades,  and  put  in  tents, 
lest  the  poison  might  bo  communicated  to  their  wounded 
fellow-suflerers.  There,  in  tho  'gangrene  ward,'  the  glory 
of  battlo  and  victory  faded  away,  as  the  fatal  disease  bora 
them  nearer  and  nearer  to  tho  great  eternity  that  shuts 
out  all  sniiiuU  of  war. 

"  Then  the  fearful  misgivings  that  took  tho  place  of  tho 
hopes  of  earthly  glory  were  deeply  engraven  on  their  poor, 
wan.  faced,  and  begun  to  bo  whispered  in  the  ears  of  Chris 
tian  sympathy.  No  words  can  describe  tho  condition  of 
our  hospitals  here,  and  of  tho  whole  country.  Think  of 
Golgotha,  the  Valley  of  Ilinnom,  and  all  the  dark  places 
of  tho  earth,  and  you  may  arrive  at  some  conception  of  it." 

Just  as  Airs.  Harris  was  entering  systematically  into 
measures  of  sanitary  relief  similar  to  thoso  she  had  so 
admirably  conducted  on  tho  battle-fields  of  Virginia,  the 
long  series  of  labors,  exposures,  and  anxieties  worked  their 
natural  effect  upon  her  constitution,  and  for  two  weeks  she 
was  very  sick.  For  a  time,  even,  her  life  was  despaired 
of;  but  whilo  so  much  was  to  bo  doiio  for  thoso  cro wded 
hospitals,  she  could  not  give  up  her  hold  on  life,  and  God, 
in  his  mercy,  restored  her  to  health,  and  gave  her  back,  to 
bo  an  unspeakable  blessing  and  comfort  to  thoso  who  suf 
fered  in  hope,  and  to  thoso  who  languished  without  hope. 
Early  in  January  sho  resumed  her  labors  and  her  cor 
respondence  with  tho  society,  saying,  in  reference  to  her 
sickness,  only  thcso  words:  "  I  feel  almost  ashamed  to 
consume  your  timo  with  any  account  of  it,  the  suffering  all 
around  me  is  of  such  an  intense  character." 
14 


210  !  WOilEX    OF    THE    WAK. 

During  the  months  of  January  and  February,  1864,  sho 
labored  incessantly  in  tho  groat  hospitals  of  Chattanooga, 
still  crowded  with  tho  wounded  of  two  terrific  battles.  In, 
January  she  was  rejoiced  when  tho  transportation  was  such 
as  to  allow  all  tho  well  men.  to  bo  comfortably  clothed  and 
fed.  Tho  railroad  was  not  opened  till  tho  middle  of  tho 
mouth.  Tho  battle  of  Chickamauga  had  been  fought 
four  months  before.  In  recapitulating  tho  events  of  that 
time,  sho  writes,  "My  experiences,  since  I  reached  Chat- 
tmiooga,  have  been  among  tho  most  painful  of  tho  three 
past  eventful  years.  In.  looking  back,  amazement  seizes 
me,  and  tho  attempt  to  rehearse  them  seems  futile.  War, 

famine,  and  pestilence  have  rnn.de  up  tho  warp  and  woof  of 
our  soldier  life.  As  I  entered  one  of  tho  hospitals,  early  in 
December,  and  asked,  'Well,  friends,  how  are  you  getting 
along?'  the  response  came  from  many  a  cot,  *  Wo  are  starv 
ing.*  A  surgeon  remarked  to  me,  in  a  careless  tone,  CA 
great  many  of  our  men  have  starved  to  death,  but  they  did 
not  know  it.'  He  was  mistaken." 

As  spring  opened,  active  operations  were  about  to  bo 
resumed  at  Chattanooga.  It  was  the  commencement  of 
Sherman's  last  magnificent  campaign.  Mrs.  Harris  accord 
ingly  returned  to  Nashville  in  March,  and  for  two  months 
continued  her  labors  among  tho  unhappy  class  for  whom 
she  had  done  so  much  in  the  fall. 

As  tho  Union  arms  became  victorious  in  Northern  Geor 
gia,  a  great  number  of  refugees  from  these  counties  cumo 
pouring  northward,  and  stopped  at  Nashville. 

The  following  picture  of  sights  and  groups,  among  which 
Mrs.  Harris's  daily  life  at  Nashville  was .  passed,  illustrates 


MIIS.    JOIIX    HARRIS.  211 

at  onco  the  misery  of  these  refugees,  and  the  Christian 
kindliness  of  her  ministration  : 

"As  I  entered  a  house  cm  tho  Murfreesboro*  Pike,  a  few 
miles  out  of  Nashville,  which  showed  signs  of  former  ele 
gance,  but  wits  now  occupied  by  twelve  refugee  families,  I 
was  met  by  a  ragged  little  child,  who  said,  'That's  our 
room ;  my  aunt  ia  there.  I  reckon  fihe*a  dying.'  Upon 
a  bed  lay  a  woman  whoso  breathing  told  of  tho  death- 
strugglo.  Stooping  over  the  lire  were  tho  mother  and 
sisters,  in  silent  grief.  They  had  been  driven  from  com 
fortable  homed  in  Dado  County,  Georgia,  because  their 
husbands  were  loyal,  and  had  months  before  entered  tho 
Union  army.  After  untold  suH'crings,  they  found  them 
selves  among  strangers,  miserably  lodged,  and  worse  fed. 
All  of  thorn  had  been  sick.  Two  children  had  died  ;  and 
now  tho  daughter,  a  mother,  too,  was  dying.  None  of 
them  could  read.  I  stooped  over  the  dying  woman,  and 
repeated  a  part  of  tho  fourteenth  chapter  of  John.  Sho 
turned  her  dying  eyes  oil  me,  and  with  a  look  of  glad 
surprise,  exclaimed,  'That's  my  home;  Jesus  is  there,  and 
ho  is  hero.  I  have  had  a  power  of  trouble,  and  been 
pestered  mightily ;  but  it  was  worth  it  all  to  feel  how 
good  Jesus  is.'  " 

After  her  return  from  these  protracted  and  depressing 
labors  in  tho  AVest,  the  health  of  JVf  rs.  Harris  was  so  utterly 
wasted,  that  not  even  tho  inspiration  of  an  heroic  purpose 
or  tho  promptings  of  holy  zeal  could  sustain  her  in  labors 
equal  to  those  she  had  undergone.  But  when  the  life-blood 
of  tho  army  of  the  Potomac  was  poured  out  at  so  fearful  a 
rate  in  the  great  campaign  of  1S64,  she  went  down  to  Fred- 


212 


WO31EN    OF    THE    WAK, 


crickaburg,  and  soon   after  to  AVhito  IIoiiso  and  City  Point, 
and  labored  with  her  customary  earnestness  and  efficiency. 

Early  in  tho  spring-  of  18G5  she  went  into  tho  department 
of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  and  was  in  tho  latter  stato 
when  Sherman  brought  his  veteran  army  around  in  that 
curve  to  the  rear  of  tho  rebel  stronghold,  and  tho 


o'o 


closing  scenes  of  the  long  tragedy  were  rapidly  hurried 
across  tho  arena.  Almost  her  last  acts  of  kindness  to  sol 
diers  were  bestowed  upon  tho  -wretched  victims  of  malignity 
that  had  staggered  alive  out  of  the  infamous  prison  pciia  at 
Andcrsonvillo  and  Salisbury. 

It   was    not    until    the    army    corps    wcro    disbanded    and 
tho    primary    hospitals    broken    up,     not    until    tho    hloody 
stretchers  were-    rolled   up   and    stowed   away  with   tho   ban 
dages  and  lint,  to  gather  dust  in  dim  corners  of  government 
storehouses,    that    Mrs.    Harris    could    regard    her   mission 
ended    and     her    occupation    gone.        ^Vith    returning    and 
established   peace   she    has   glided   back  to   the    lifo  of  quiet 
duty  and  patient  endurance,  from  which,  four  years  before, 
she  had  emerged,  her  health   feebler  than    before,  suffering 
constantly   from    tho    c fleets    of  a    sunstroke,  received  while 
laboring    on     tho     field     at    Savage's     Station.        Cut    if    tho 
approving  testimony  of  conscience   is  any  reward  ;   if  ever 
mercy  i3  twice  blessed,  enriching  tho  receiver  and  tho  giver 
alike  ;    if  tho   affectionate   admiration  of  tho   thousands  who 
saw    her   labors,  and  wcra    benefited    by   them,  is    precious, 
—  this  admiration,  this  blessing,  this  reward,   8ho  has,   to 
alleviate  tho  weariness  of  her  sick  chamber,  and  to  brighten 
the     pathway    along    which     sho    moves    to    tho    heavenly 
approval. 


MISS   MARY   E.    SIIELTON. 

f  •  \HE  various  scenes,  movements,  and  charities  of  our 
JL  grcut  civil  struggle  can  bo  divided  iuto  two  grand 
enterprises,  each  having  a  widely  separated,  yet  equally 
important  objeet.  The  moral  objeetivo  of  the  \var  was  tho 
capture  of  Richmond  ;  tlio  physical  objective  was  to  obtain 
and  socuro  possession  of  tho  magnificent  valley  uiid  river 
that  occupy  tho  centre  of  the  revolted  region. 

Of  course  a  result  so  important  as  either  was.  not  to  bo 
accomplished  without  labors,  and  bloodshed,  and  sufferings, 
whoso  sum  no  human  method  can  ever  express. 

Though  Vicksburg  and  tho  towns  011  tho  Lower  Missis 
sippi  were  more  remote  from  tho  centres  of  supply  than  tho 
Virginia  towns,  yet  tho  directness  of  water  communication 
nearly  compensated  for  the  ditfurciico  in  miles  ;  and  the 
western  armies,  led  by  Oruut  and  Sherman,  wero  repre 
sented  at  homo  by  a  population  as  warm  in  its  loyalty,  and 
ns  generous  in  tho  spirit  of  sacrilico,  as  those  who  stood 
behind  tho  forces  of  McClcllan,  and  Hooker,  and  Meadc. 

Iu  tho  summer  of  18 G3  tho  labors  of  Mrs.  Anno  Wittcn- 
meycr  had  become  so  extensive,  tho  field  of  her  operations 
so  wide,  and  her  letters  so  numerous,  that  she  needed  a 
secretary  to  relievo  her,  in  a  portion  at  least,  of  her  self- 
imposed  duties. 


214  WO3IEN'    OF   TITE    WAIZ.' 

It  was  in  this  capacity  of  secretary  to  Mrs.  Wittcnmeycr, 
in  tho  fall  of  18G3,  soon  after  tho  surrender  of  Vicks- 
bur"-,  that  Miss  Mary  E.  Sheltou  commenced  her  hospital 
experience. 

On  tho  10th  of  August  she  left  Keokuk,  and  on  tho 
way  to  St.  Louis  her  time  was  fully  occupied  iii  answering 
a  large  number  of  letters,  which  Mrs.  VTittcnmcycr,  as 
president  of  tho  Ladies'  Aid  Society  of  Iowa,  had  received 
from  various  parts  of  that  and  tho  adjacent  states.  From 
tho  number  and  tenor  of  these  letters  Miss  Shclton  was 
made  more-  fully  alive  to  tho  extent  and  tho  bitter  results 
of  tho  great  war  then  at  its  height.  Hero  was  one  from  a 
heart-broken  father,  saying,  "  0110  of  his  sons  had  recently 
died  in  a  southern  hospital,  and  tho  only  one  remaining  was 
very  low  with  fever ;  would  Mrs.  AVittenmeycr  see  him, 
and  ascertain  his  wants,  and  let  them  know?"  A  wife,  with 
a  family  of  little  ones,  almost  destitute,  wrote  that  her  hus 
band  had  consumption,  and  begged  that  he  might  spend  his 
last  clays  at  home.  A  widowed  mother  had  not  heard  from 
her  sick  son  for  nmiry  weeks  ;  "  would  Mrs.  Witteiimcycr 
inquire  about  him,  and  relievo  tho  terrible  suspense  that 
was  wearing  her  life  away?  "  No  other  employment  could 
have  given  her  so  wido  an  acquaintance  with  tho  sorrows 
by  which  tho  land  was  burdened. 

At  St.  Louis  they  stopped  a  day  or  two,  and  visited  tho 
rooms  of  tho  \Vestern  Sanitary  Commission,  where  they 
were  cordially  received,  and  mado  ample  arrangements  with 
the  president,  Mr.  Ycatman,  for  receiving  future  supplies 
for  their  mission  to  the  suffering  soldiers  down  tho  river. 
On  the  16th  of  August,  just  at  sunset,  they  reached  Helena, 


MISS    MAIIY    E.     SttELTON.  215 

Arkansas,  and  reported  immediately  to  tlio  office  of  tho 
medical  director,  whom  they  found  in  great  perplexity  on 
account  of  tho  laqk  of  nurses  and  supplies  for  tho  sick  and 
wounded.  IIo  greeted  them  with  tho  utmost  cordiality, 
telling-  Mrs.  AVittenmeyer  that  he  had  not  welcomed  any 
0110  half  so  gladly  aiiico  tho  Avar  commenced  as  ho  did  her, 
as  he  had  never  bcforo  been  so  sorely  in  need  of  help  and 
supplies.  A  largo  number  of  regiments  had  been  brought 
up  from  Vicksburg  and  tho  Yazoo  River,  and  General 
Steclc's  division  had  moved  on  to  Little  Rock,  leaving  their 
sick  men  behind.  So  rapid  had  been  tho  movement  that 
tho  sick  were  left  in  tho  streets,  with  scarcely  enough  con 
valescents  to  erect  tents  to  protect  them  from  the  heat  of 
the  day,  or  the  damp,  malarious  air  of  tho  night.  Thirteen 
had  died  tho  first  night  they  were  there,  and  unless  some 
thing  was  done  immediately  tho  mortality  would  bo  very 
great.  More  than  two  thousand  wcro  destitute  of  both 
medical  and  sanitary  supplies. 

Airs.  AYritteiimcycr  immediately  sent  to  St.  Louis  for  the 
necessary  supplies  ;  and,  early  on  Monday  morning,  sho 
and  Miss  Shclton  began  their  labors  of  love,  visiting  tho 
hospitals,  and  ministering  all  in  their  power  to  tho  sufierers 
thcro.  Ono  poor  soldier  they  found  wasted  almost  to  a 
skeleton,  and  wearing  tho  samo  suit  of  clothes  ho  had 
worn  all  through  tho  siege  of  Vicksburg  and  tho  fever  that 
had  prostrated  him.  IIo  seemed  past  all  feeling,  and  said 
he  was  going  to  dio  with  no  ono  to  care  for  or  relievo  him. 
Gut  an  allusion  to  his  mother  called  the  tears  in  streams  to 
his  eyes,  and  convulsed  his  wholo  framo  with  sobs.  Before* 
they  left,  tho  hospital  steward  had  promised  to  clean  every 


216  WO^TEN    OP    THE 

roora,  and  hold  in  his  hand  an  order  for  cvory  shirt  and 
pair  of  drawers  in  tho  sanitary  rooms.  In  the  afternoon 
they  visited  tho  hospital  tents,  speaking  words  of  sympathy 
and  kindness  to  tho  brave  sufferers,  and  from  twilight  to 
midnight  they  were  both  busy  in  writing  letters  to  their 
friends  at  home. 

The  next  day  matters  were  materially  improved.  Tho 
rooms  were  thoroughly  scrubbed,  tho  men  attired  in  new 
and  fresh  garments,  and  oven  tho  poor  Vicksburg  soldier,  in 
his  clean  shirt  and  now  suit  of  clothes,  talked  hopefully  of 
health  and  homo  again.  After  leaving  some  lemons,  and 
such  other  comforts  as  could  bo  procured  in  Helena,  they 
started  for  tho  convalescent  camp,  about  a  inilo  from 
Helena,  tho  way  thither  leading  directly  across  tho  battle 
field  where  so  many  bravo  men  sealed  their  devotion  to  tho 
Union  with  their  blood.  As  they  nearcd  the  first  tent  thoy 
heard  tho  soldiers  within  singing,  — 

44  So,  let  the  cannon  boom  as  it  will, 
"We  will  be  gay  and  happy  still." 

^Then  followed  something  the  import  of  which  was  that  tho 
northern  girls  wouldn't  marry  Copperheads  or  cowards,  but 
would  wait  till  the  soldiers  got  homo.  Thinking  they  wero 
doing  very  well,  tho  two  ladies  passed  on  to  another  tent, 
•where  wero  four  sick  men  —  three  on  tho  ground,  ono,  the 
sickest  of  the  four,  on  a  cot.  There  was  a  pan  with  ice 
water  in  it  by  tho  cot,  but  no  one  to  apply  it  to  tho  sick 
man's  burning  brow.  Mrs.  Wittenmeyer  dipped  the  towel 
into  tho  water,  wrung  it  out,  and  placed  it  on  his  head. 
Slowly  the  tears  rolled  from  the  closed  eyes,  and  in  a  feeble 


MISS    MAUT    E.     6ECELTON.  217 

voice,  tho  sufferer  said,  K  O,  how  like  my  own  mother  it 
seemed  when  you  put  the  cold  cloth  on  my  aching1  head  1  " 
That  day  they  saw  aiid  talked  with  hundreds  of  men  from 
Iowa  uiitl  other  states,  aud  were  received  by  them  us  angels 
of  mercy.  One  man  staggered  from  his  cot  to  where  his 
knapsack  lay,  to  give  them  some  peaches  ;  another  insisted 
on  their  sharing  with  him  some  ginger  beer ;  and,  as  they 
left,  they  heard  a  soldier  remark  to  his  comrade,  "It  docs 
my  heart  good  to  see  that  kind  of  ladies  come  to  camp  ; 
they  care  something  for  tho  soldiers."  In  the  evening  they 
visitod  a  hospital  in.  a  briek  church,  whoiro  wero  eighty  men, 
most  of  thorn  very  sick,  and  not  0110  bed  in  tho  building. 
But  they  wero  very  patient,  aud  praised  their  steward  in 
the  highest  terms  —  a  very  humane  and  kind-hearted  man, 
who  neither  by  day  nor  night  would  allow  them  to  suffer  for 
the  cooling  drink,  or  such  other  attention  n.a  was  in  his 
power  to  bestow.  They  talked  of  him  as  they  would  of  a 
mother,  and  seemed  glad  to  tell  some  one  how  kind  he  was. 
Tenderly  ho  went  from  0110  to  another,  ministering  to  their 
wants ;  and  when  a  soldier  introduced  to  them  CT  Liberty 
Hix,"  the  ladies  recognized  hinx  as  a  genuine  Samaritan,  of 
tho  Now  Testament  typo.  Ono  of  the  soldiers  called  Miss 
Shcltoii  to  him,  and  said,  **  I  have  something  to  toll  3-011, 
that  I  want  you  to  repeat  whoii  you  return  to  Iowa.  You 
may  havo  heard  of  our  sufferings  at  Milliken's  Bend.  Wo 
wero  in  a  hospital  tent,  and  as  no  supplies  could  reach  us, 
wo  becumo  inoro  and  more  feeblo.  Mori  that  might  havo 
grown  strong  and  well  with  proper  nourishment,  wore  daily 
sinking  into  tho  gravo,  and  in  oaeh  ono  that  was  carried  out 
wo  read  our  fate.  You  can  havo  little  idea  how  a  sick 


218  WOMEN    OP   THE    WAS. 

man  loathes  the  coarso  army  rations.  Tho  only  thing  -wo 
could  eat  was  bean  soup  ;  and  this  we  had  morning,  noon, 
aud  night,  week  in  aud  week  out.  I  have  seen  men  refuse 
it,  saying,  c  I  will  dio  before  I  will  over  eat  it  again.'  But 
a  day  came  when  unusual  depression  reigned  throughout  the 
hospital.  Tho  nurse  came  through  with  the  soup  ;  but  it 
was  steadily  refused.  When  ho  came  to  mo  I  covered  my 
head  in  the  bedclothes  and  wept.  I  thought  of  my  good 
wife,  with  an  abundance  about  her,  and  how  gladly  she 
would  share  with  me.  When  I  looked  up,  other  men  wcro 
•weeping  too  ;  and,  though  it  may  seem  very  foolish  to  you, 
hunger  and  sickness  take  all  the  fortitude  out  of  a  man. 
In  my  distress  I  cried  to  God,  and  scarcely  had  the  prayer 
passed  my  lips,  when  our  nurse  entered,  and  taking  his 
stand  near  tho  centre  of  the  hospital,  where  every  man 
could  hear,  called  out,  '  Mrs.  ^Vittomneyer  is  coming  with 
two  loads  of  sanitary  goods  !  '  Just  then  wo  heard  tho 
rattle  of  tho  wagons,  and  my  heart  gave  such  a  bound  of 
joy  as  it  never  had  done  before.  The  men  wept  aloud  for 
joy.  An  hour  afterwards,  amid  laughter  and  tears,  wo 
greeted  Mrs.  Wittenmcyer,  bringing  us  chicken,  fruit,  and 
other  sanitary  supplies,  without  which  wo  should  have  died 
in  a  few  days." 

Tho  two  days  following  were  spent  in  tho  same  way, 
going  from  hospital  to  hospital,  ascertaining  what  was 
needed,  and  supplying  it  as  far  as  possible.  Cut  one 
sad  feature  of  their  situation  it  -was  beyond  the  power 
of  the  ladies  to  mitigate.  None  of  the  men  hoped 
for  speedy  recovery  unless  they  could  be  moved  from 
Helena.  The  town  is  situated  in  what  was  once  a  cypress 


1088    MAHY    E.    8I1ELTON.  219 

swamp,  and  in  low  places  the  stamps  of  tho  trees  were 
still  standing.  Unless  tho  sick  could  be  inspired  with 
courage  and  hope,  it  waa  useless  to  anticipate  recovery. 
Tho  commander  of  tho  post  suid  ho  had  no  authority  to 
send  them  up  tho  river,  and  tho  medical  director  could  do 
nothing  without  orders.  After  thoroughly  canvassing  tho 
wholo  affair,  Mrs.  Witteumeycr  decided  to  go  to  Memphis, 
see  General  Hurlbut,  and  havo  arrangements  made  to 
mako  them,  at  least,  inoro  comfortable.  On  tho  morning 
of  tho  second  day  sho  returned,  and  as  she  pitssed  from  one 
hospital  to  another,  every  man  that  was  able  raised  himself 
on  his  elbow,  and  watched  her  till  sho  was  out  of  sight. 
Some  wept,  others  laughed,  —  all  were  in  groat  agitation, 
for  sho  had  brought  with  her  orders  for  tho  removal  of 
every  man  to  somo  northern  hospital.  That  day  supplies 
camo  from  Memphis,  which  were  distributed  among  tho 
men,  and  which,  together  with  tho  hopo  of  a  speedy  re 
moval  to  a  more  salubrious  air,  diffused  great  cheerfulness 
among  them  nil. 

Their  labors  at  Helena  thus  pleasantly  terminated,  Miss 
Shcltou  accompanied  Mrs.  Wittciimcyor  to  Vicksburg. 
Leaving  Helena  on  tho  morning  of  August  23,  tho  next 
day,  about  noon,  tho  bluffs  of  Vicksburg  camo  in  sight. 
They  found  that  tho  city  presented  a  much  less  dilapidated 
and  nioro  inviting  appearance  than  they  had  anticipated 
there,  where  for  weeks  "  E>cath  held  hia  carnival.**  Tho  first 
hospital  they  visited  was  in  tho  Prentiss  mansion,  a  most 
beautiful  plaeo.  Though  tho  house  was  largo,  compara 
tively  fe%v  of  the  patients  could  be  accommodated  in  it, 
but  were  in  tents,  on  the  surrounding  terraces,  in  tho 


220  WOALEN    OF   TUB    WAB. 

shade  of  tho  magnolia,  and.  cypress  trees,  hedged  about  with, 
myrtle  and  beautiful  flowers.  The  sick  were  all  well  cared 
for,  and  were  never  without  sanitary  supplies.  The  City 
Hospital  they  fouud  iu  tho  best  possible  condition.  Dr. 
Powell,  of  Chicago,  chief  surgeon,  received  them  cordially, 
as  messengers  of  mercy  from  tho  Sanitary  Commission, 
and  expressed  himself  as  having  more  faith  in  tho  efficacy 
of  nourishing  food  for  the  sick  soldiers  than  in  tho  most 
skilful  practice,  or  the  most  potent  medicines. 

One  of  tho  most  interesting  places  they  found  in  the  city 
was  the  Soldiers'  Jlomo  — a  fine  three-story  brick  structure, 
surrounded  by  cool  verandas,  on  0110  of  the  plcosaiitcst 
sites  in  the  city,  built  by  Senator  Gwiu  for  his  town  resi 
dence.  This  situation  was  selected  by  Mrs.  Witteiimeycr, 
and  there  tho  tired  soldier  could  find  food  and  lodging,  free 
of  expense,  furnished  by  tho  Sanitary  Commission. 

-A.  few  days  after  their  arrival  at  Vicksburg,  Mrs.  Witten- 
meyer  and  Miss  Shclton  went  out  to  Big  IMuck  River,  mid 
way  between  Vicksburg  and  Jackson,  visiting  a  number  of 
hospitals  located  there. 

In  the  f;ill  of  the  year,  returning  to  Iowa  with  Mrs.  Witten- 
mcyer,  Miss  Sheltoii  labored,  with  her  voice  and  pen,  in  vin 
dicating  tho  Sanitary  Commission,  and  arousing  tho  people 
of  Iowa  to  renewed  activity,  and  more  abundant  liberality 
towards  tho  distant  and  often  suffering  soldier.  During  the 
year  1864,  and  all  tho  early  part  of  1865,  for  some  timo 
after  tho  war  ended,  Miss  Shelton.  was  constantly  in  the 
field,  acting  a  portion  of  tho  time  as  secretary  to  Mrs.  Wit- 
ton  meyer ;  at  other  times  taking  charge  of  special  diet 
kitchens  in  the  different  hospitals. 


MISS    MAttY    E.    8HEI/TOX.  221 

Tho  summer  of  1S64  -was  spent  mostl3r  in  tho  Nashville 
hospitals.  Afterwards  slio  went  to  Wilmington,  and  re 
mained  for  several  months.  Of  fino  sensibilities,  and  well 
cultivated  intellect,  to  see  such  varied  suffering  was  to  sym 
pathize  with  it.  And  she  has  not  allowed  these  vivid  and 
often  tragic  scenes  to  pass  from  her  memory,  and  perish 
from  tho  recollection  of  tho  world. 

Many  of  the  more  touching  incidents  she  has  recorded  in. 
a  scries  of  hospital  sketches,  whoso  interest  and  pathos  havo 
not  been  surpassed  by  any  of  tho  journals  of  tho  numerous 
hospital  nurses  and  lady  superintendents  who  have  made  so 
noble  a  page  in  American  history  by  their  heroism  and 
self-sacrifice.  ~\V"o  quoto  from  her  journal  sonic  of  tho 
most  interesting  passages. 

LITTLE  WILLIE. 

One  sultry  day  in  Juno,  1865,  as  I  was  passing  through 
tho  wards  of  tho  Berry  Houso  Hospital,  in  Wilmington,  my 
attention  was  attracted  by  a  pair  of  bright  eyes,  which  fol 
lowed  mo  from  cot  to  cot  with  a  hungry  eagerness.  Sup 
posing  it  was  the  lemonade,  which  I  was  distributing 
according  to  tho  direction  of  tho  nurses,  which  attracted 
him,  I  inquired  of  tho  man  who  had  charge  of  him  if  ho 
could,  have  some.  Ho  replied  in  tho  affirmative,  and  I 
placed  tho  glass  to  his  burning  lips.  Ho  was  a  mere  boy, 
only  fifteen.  His  dark  eyes  and  curly  brown  hair  contrasted 
fearfully  with  his  palo  cheeks,  while  tho  thin  whito  hand, 
•with  which  ho  clasped  tho  glass,  told  sadly  of  wasting 
disease. 

I  longed  to  speak  words  of  cheor  to  the   poor  boy,  but 


222  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

could  not  stop  then,  as  there  were  many  feverish  men 
•waiting  for  the  icy  draught  I  was  carrying.  Tho  eyes 
haunted  mo  ;  and,  as  I  went  from  one  to  another,  I  could 
not  help  glancing  hack  at  'Willie's  cot ;  and  every  time  I 
met  the  sumo  entreating  look  which  first  attracted  my 
attention. 

My  duties  called  mo  to  another  part  of  tho  hospital ;  and, 
as  I  was  passing  him  to  go  out,  ho  called  out,  in  a  faint 
voice,  "Lady,  dear  lady,  please  givo  mo  a  kiss — just  ono 
kiss  before  you  go.  My  mother  always  kissed  me."  I 
kissed  him,  with  tears  in  my  eyes  —  for  who  could  refuse 
such  11  request  from  a  dying  child,  far  away  from  every 
friend  and  relative.  Ho  closed  his  eyes,  murmuring,  "  You 
are  a  good  woman  —  thank  you.  If  you  will  sit  down  and 
hold  my  hand  I  think  I  can.  sleep  ;  I  am  so  tired."  Tho 
nurses  >vcro  very  kind,  and  the  surgeons  remarkably  so  ; 
but  disease  had  undermined  tho  frail  structure,  and  wo 
daily  watched  our  Willie  sinking  to  tho  grave. 

Quo  day  I  entered  tho  ward,  and  found  that  tho  iiurso 
had  placed  a  chair  by  his  cot  for  mo,  as  usual ;  but  ho  was 
sleeping,  and  I  requested  tho  nurso  not  to  awaken  him. 
UO,  miss,"  said  tho  man,  "he  cries  and  tokos  on  so  dread 
fully  when  ho  wakes  and  finds  that  you  have  passed  through, 
that  I  havo  promised  always  to  wako  him."  To  do  this  was 
no  easy  matter  :  tho  eyes  opened  slowly,  and  shut  again. 
I  leaned  down,  and  whispered,  w  Willie  !  Willie  I  "  "  Yes, 
yes,"  ho  replied,  "  I  was  afraid  they  would  not  wako  me, 
and  I  should  not  seo  you."  Ho  then,  began  to  cry  like  a 
grieved  child,  and  begged  me  not  to  go  North  until  he  was 
well  enough  to  go  with  me.  "Promise,"  said  the  nurse, 


MISS    JkLAJiY    K.     SLLEILTOX.  223 

"for  ho  will  not  live  many  daya  more."  KNo,  Willie,  I 
will  not  go  until  you  arc  bettor,"  I  said,  and  with  the  kiss 
ho  never  failed  to  ask  for,  left  him.  The  next  morning  the 
doctor  came  to  ino  and  said,  ft  "Willio  is  gone." 

The  co tliii  was  placed  upon  two  chairs,  in.  the  dispensary, 
mid  we  stood  and  gazed  long  upon  the  marble  face  and 
folded  whito  hands  —  whito  as  tho  Capo  Jasmiuo  blossoms 
which  they  clasped.  Then  I  learned  his  history  as  ho  had 
told  it.  A  man  of  wealth  had  been  drafted,  and  had  bought 
tho  boy  as  a  substitute  of  a  heartless  step-father.  Ho  had 
never  carried  a.  gun.  Once-  from  under  his*  mother's  watch 
ful  caro,  tho  overgrown  boy  hud  sunk  beneath  tho  hardships 
of  camp  life,  and  tho  spirit,  pure  as  when  it  first  entered 
tho  clay  casket,  returned  to  God  who  gavo  it.  O  Willio  ! 
thoso  wero  not  tears  to  bo  despised  which  fell  upon  thy 
co  fill  i — soldiers'  tears  for  a  comrade  loat.  And  though 
upon  tho  woll-contested  field  you  never  fought  in  deadly 
combat,  tho  good  fight  of  faith  has  been  yours  ;  aud  now, 
while  your  example  lives  in  our  hearts  below,  you  wear  an 
undying  wreath  of  victory  in  our  leather's  kingdom. 

Our  work  in  this  hospital  was  more  satisfactory  than  in 
any  other  with  which  I  was  connected.  There  wore  only 
three  wards,  and  wo  visited  and  talked  with  each  patient 
every  afternoon.  A  surgeon  or  tho  ward-master  went  with 
us  to  assist  in  giving  out  tho  lemonade  which  wo  always 
took  with  us.  Wo  also  carried  a  portfolio,  and  took  from 
tho  men  outlines  of  tho  letters  they  wished  us  to  write. 
Some  of  these  were  very  original  and  amusing,  and  I  regret 
that  I  did  not  preserve  them. 


224  WOMEN    OP   THE    AVAR. 

As  -we  had  no  "  diet  lists,"  we  took  down  on  a  slip  of 
paper  every  afternoon  what  articles  of  food  each  man. 
thought  ho  could  oat.  There  was  very  little  grumbling** 
and  many  thanks.  "While  at  work,  the  convalescents  would 
gather  in  the  corners  of  the  kitchen  and  at  tho  windows,  and 
relate  amusing  anecdotes  of  their  journeying^  and  lights. 

I  regret  to  say  that  sJiam  marriages  of  tho  soldiers  -with 
pretty  girls  belonging  to  the  "  poor  white  trash "  wore  not 
uncommon. 

Much  has  been  said  of  tho  ignorance  of  these  people  ;  but 
such  miserable,  vile,  filthy,  cringing  wretches  I  never  saw. 
IIulf  has  not  been  told  of  them  ;  and  truly  it  would  require 
the  pens  of  many  ready-writers  to  do  it.  Tho  "  swamp 
fever,"  which  carried  ofF  many  of  our  soldiers,  was  even 
more  fatal  among  them.  "While  in  Wilmington,  tho  death 
of  Airs.  George,  of  Fort  "Wayne,  Indiana,  made  us  moro 
carefid  of  our  health.  Tho  surgeon  advised  xis  to  change 
every  article  of  dress,  and  take  a  thorough  bath,  beforo 
resting  after  our  visits  to  tho  wards.  This  wo  did  ;  and 
al chough  wo  were  exposed  to  small  pox,  and  fevers  of  all 
kintls,  wo  returned  to  the  jS^orth  in  as  good  health  us  when 
we  went  South. 

"Wilmington  life  is  'with  tho  memories  of  the  past,  as  is 
all  our  hospital  work.  Cut  though  wo  ^rcst  from  our 
labors,"  "  our  works  do  follow  us  **  in  occasional  letters  from 
a  thankful  one,  to  whom  we  administered  when  we  and  they 
were  strangers  in  a  strange  land. 

HOSPITAL  No.   1,  NASHVILLE,  July   14,    1804. 

I  have  read  of  things  terrible  and  heartrending,  but 
never  heard  anything  to  equal  the  sounds  which  a  rebel  in 


MISS    MARY    E.     SIIKLTOX.  225 

the  third  story  scuds  forth.  I  was  sitting-  by  my  taMc, 
reading,  when,  a  sharp  cry  of  pain  startled  me,  followed  by 
earnest  pleadings  for  mercy 'from  our  di vino  Father.  Then, 
in  a  few  momenta,  shouts  of  praise,  cursing,  raving, 
shrieks,  fiendish  laughs,  growls  like  an  enraged  animal, 
and  every  feeling  it  is  possible  to  express  with  the  voice, 
followed  each  other  in  quick  succession. 

Our  room  is  just  across  the  street,  and  while  I  write 
niglit  is  made  terrible  by  the  poor  delirious  wretch.  I  can 
hear  the  sick  men  in  the  wards  below  wishing  him  removed 
so  they  can  sleep.  There  I  at  last  ho  is  quiet.  A  lady 
nurse  came  in,  and  told  mo  that  it  was  a  very  wicked  mail 
in  the  rebel  ward,  who  was  "frightened  out  of  his  senaea  " 
because  two  men,  in  the  most  fearful  agonies  of  death,  wcro 
lying  beside  him.  finding  it  impossible  to  quiet  him,, 
the  surgeon  in  charge  had  him  gagged.  It  is  a  revolting 
•necessity  to  treat  him  so.  A  thousand  sick,  wounded,  and. 
dying  would  be  annoyed  all  night  by  him  if  they  did  not* 

IIoariTAi,  No.    14,    NASHVILLE,   August  2~- 

AVhcn  I  first  went  through  the  wards  of  this  hospital,.  I 
found  a  German  woman  sitting  by  her  husband  in  ward 
one.  This  ward,  contains  ail  the-  worst  cases,  and  the  smell 
of  the  wounds  mado  ino  sick  and  faint  before  I  was  half 
through.  Uut  I  learned  that  this  woman  had  been  sitting 
in  her  chair  thcro,  besido  her  husband,  for  two  weeks,  day 
and  niylit.  For  recreation,  she  would  walk  out  into  tho 
city,  and  buy  some  crackers  and  cheese,  upou  which  sho 
subsisted.  Her  face  was  colorless,  and  her  eyes  had  a 
sunken,  sickly  look.  I  was  carrying  a  bottle  of  excellent 
15 


226  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAB. 

cologne  and  a  basket  of  handkerchiefs.  I  saturated  one 
\vith  the  cologne,  and  gave  her  husband,  and  loft  tho  bottle 
with  her.  She  was  very  grateful,  and  told  mo  that  she  was 
compelled  to  go  out  and  vomit  three  or  four  times  every 
day,  so  great  was  the  nausea  caused  by  the  impure  air.  I 
arranged  for  her  to  sleep  at  tho  Commission  Rooms,  which 
are  near  here,  on  Spruce  Street,  and  we  gave  her  her  meals 
from  the  kitchen.  This  is  against  the  rules  of  tho  hospital  ; 
but  the  surgeon  says  ho  will  shut  his  eyes  and  not  know 
wo  are  doing  it,  if  wo  will  not  do  it  again.  Until  to-day 
we  have  had  no  doubt  of  his  recovery ;  but  to-night  she 
came  to  me  in  great  alarm,  saying  her  husband  had  a  chill. 
I  have  never  yet  known  a  person  with  an  amputated  limb 
to  recover  after  having  a  chill.  This  man  looks  so  strong 
and  well,  that  I  hope  ho  may  bo  an  exception. 

Aitgutt  G,    18G4. 

The  German  inward  one  is  dead.  On  "Wednesday  morn 
ing  I  went  down  very  early  to  boo  him,  and  found  tho  cot 
eii\l>ty.  I  asked  for  his  wife,  and  they  said  eho  had  gone 
out  in  town.  At  tho  door  I  met  her.  Sho  throw  up  her 
arms,  and  cried  in  piteous  tones,  "He's  gono  !  O,  he's 
gone!  and  I'm  alone  —  alone!"  Sho  supposed  ho  would 
bo  buried  that  day,  and  walked  out  to  tho  cemetery  —  more 
than  a  mile  —  and  found  ho  was  not  to  bo  buried  until  the 
next  day.  Sho  asked  me  if  I  would  not  go  with  her  on 
Thursday.  I  complied,  and  accompanied  her,  with  a  dele 
gate  of  tho  Commission  and  his  wife.  As  the  coffins  wero 
taken  one  by  one  from  the  ambulance,  it  was  found  that 
.her  husband's  was  not  there.  The  chaplain  kindly  proposed 


MISS    MARV    E.     8IIEJLTOX.  227 

to  wait  until  the  ambulance  could  return  to  town ;  and 
while  waiting  wo  went  to  a  furm-houso  near  by,  and  mado 
a  bouquet  for  each  of  us.  As  wo  stood,  with  Ubwed  heads, 
looking  into  tlio  graves  while  the  chaplain  read  the  funeral 
service,  she  grasped  my  hand  convulsively,  whispering. 
"  It's  so  shallow  I  O,  ask  them  to  take  him  out,  and  mako 
it  deeper  !  "  Our  nostrils  had  evidence  of  the  shallowness 
of  tho  graves  every  time  tho  breeze  swept  over  them.  The 
"escort"  fired  their  farewell  over  tho  "sleeping  braves," 
and  as  tho  smoke  cleared  away,  tho  bereaved  wife  dropped 
her  (lowers  upon  tho  coffin,  and  \ve  wearily  returned,  —  sho 
to  tako  the  next  train  for  the  North,  and  wo  to  our  sad 
work. 

AuguMt   10,    18(>4. 

This  evening,  while  busy  preparing  supper,  wo  were 
startled  by  hearing  a  heavy  fall  on  the  pavement,  outside 
of  tho  window.  AVo  rushed  to  it,  and  found  that  a  man  had 
jumped  from  tho  third  story  porch.  Ho  was  sitting  up, 
looking  about  him  with  a  bewildered  look,  when  we  reached 
him.  The  doctor  says  ho  has  broken  open  an  old  wound  iu 
hid  side,  and  will  not  recover.  He  says  ho  had  been  think 
ing  all  day  how  long  he  would  have  to  suffer  if  he  got  well, 
and  then  thought  ho  might  suflcr  for  weeks  and  months, 
and  then  die,  and  ho  determined  to  end  his  misery  at'oiio 
leap.  Tho  nurse  caught  him  just  as  he  was  going  over,  but 
was  not  strong  enough  to  hold  him.  IIo  talks  very  quietly 
about  it,  and  wishes  ho  had  not  done  it,  or  had  succeeded 
in  ending  life  and  physical  paiu  at  oiico.  He  died  two 
days  afterwards. 


228  WOMEN-    OF    TIIE    WAR. 

"I  wish  you  would  take  bed  sixty-four,  ward  two,  under 
your  especial  care,"  said  tho  surgeon  in  charge  to  me. 
"  "Wo  have  just  amputated  his  leg,  aud  nothing  but  tho 
closest  watchfulness  and  most  nourishing  food  will  save 
him,  and  I  doubt  if  they  do." 

I  went  at  ouco  to  my  patient.  lie  was  a  young  man, 
with  what  had  once  been  a  very  strong  constitution.  As  ho 
lay  there,  with  his  pale  face,  and  lips  quivering  with  agony, 
I  could  not  help  thinking  how  grand  ho  must  appear  in  tho 
glory  of  healthy  manhood.  I  could  see  that  he  clinched 
his  nails  into  tho  palm  of  his  hand  to  keep  back  the  cry 
which  he  deemed  uiiaoldierly.  But  it  would  not  do  ;  a 
groan  burst  forth  in  spite  of  him.  lie  turned  his  fiercely- 
black  eyes  upon  mo,  and  asked,  dropping  the  words  slowly, 

one     at    a    time,    "  Can't  —  you do something — for  — 

me?"      I   felt  powerless,  but   prepared  a   stimulating   drink 
for  him,  and  then  left  him  to  attend  to  others. 

One  day  I  was  too  busy  to  carry  his  dinner  to  him,  and 
sent  it  to  him  by  tho  nurse,  postponing  my  visit  to  that 
ward  until  afternoon.  Between  three  and  four  o'clock  I 
went  to  see  him,  and  found  him  weaker  than  usual,  and  his 
dinner  on  tho  stand  beside  him,  untastcd.  I  carried  in 
my  hand  a  pretty,  delicate  fan,  which  a  friend  had  given 
me,  and  I  noticed  his  eyes  follow  it  backward  and  for 
ward,  up  and  down,  as  I  fanned  him.  At  last  he  asked  to 
take  it.  He  gave  it  a  few  feeblo  flourishes,  and  then  asked 
inc  to  exchange  with  him.  "This  palm-leaf  is  so  heavy  I 
can't  lift  it.  When  I  get  strong  I  will  give  it  to  you 
again."  I  gave  it,  and  asked  what  he  would  have  for  sup 
per.  "  Coffee  !  coffee,  with  cream  in  it  t  Nothing  else  !  " 


MJSS    MARY    E.     SIIELTON.  229 

was  his  answer.  "But  wo  have  110  cream,"  said  I.  "No 
cream  !  "Why,  my  mother  ha3  milk  pans  big  enough  to 

drown  mo  in,  and.  the  cream  is  tJutt  thick" indicating  on 

hid  linger  ita  thickness.  "  Mother  !  mother  !  mother  !  "  he 
cried.* 

Wounds  and  suffering  had  weakened  body  and  mind 
alike  ;  and  tho  strong  muii  waa  a  child  again,  crying  help 
lessly  for  "  mother." 

A  few  mornings  later  a  uuioo  brought  my  fan  to  me, 
saying,  "  f  Sixty-four  f  died  last  night  \  and  when  ho  knew  ho 
was  going,  he  told  mo  to  bring  your  fan  to  you,  and  thank 
yon."  Tho  ambulance,  bearing  him  in  hia  cofHn,  had 
scarcely  It: ft  tho  gate,  when  the  mother  for  whom  he  had 
yearned  camo  to  tho  hospital. 

1'oor  woman  I  Sho  bowod  her  gray  head,  murmuring, 
beneath  the  chastening  rod,  "  'JL'lty  will,  not  mine,  be  done, 

0  Father.11 

IIosriT.vr.  SCEXE.S. 

Tho  inconvenience,  stifle-ring,  and  unpleasant  conse 
quences  of  ignorance  of  military  regulations,  endured  by 
women  who  went  to  take  care  of  sons,  husbands,  or  broth 
ers,  sick  in  southern  hospitals,  might  form  an  interesting, 
though  sad  chapter  in  tho  history  of  our  great  war,  and 

1  givo   you  somo   instances. 

At  tho  sunset  of  a  sultry  day,  I  sat  by  my  window, 
writing  to  tho  "  friends  at  homo,"  when  my  door  was  thrown 
unceremoniously  open,  and  a  lady  entered,  exclaiming, 
"  What  shall  I  do  ? "  I  knew  from  her  face  that  sho  was  a 
quiet,  respectable,  though  uncultivated  woman,  and  that 


230  WOMEN"    Of    TUB    WAK. 

nothing-  but  tho  desporateness  of  her  situation  could  havo 
forced  her  to  this  abrupt  entrance  and  question. 

I  g-ave  her  a  chair,  and  listened  to  her  story.  Her  hus 
band  had  been  so  severely  wounded  in  tho  leg  as  to  niako 
amputation  necessary  ;  and  she  had  left  home  with  a  hun 
dred  dollars,  which  she  had  borrowed  from  a  friend,  and 
had  como  all  tho  way  to  N^ishvillo. 

She  had  never  travelled  before,  and  had  been  troubled  so 
much  in  getting  passes  and  transportation,  that  her  nervous 
system  seemed  quite  exhausted. 

Boarding  and  lodging1  were  so  dear  that  she  found  it  im 
possible  to  pay  for  them  in  the  city,  while  hospital  regula 
tions  would  not  allow  her  to  stay  there.  The  surgeon  said 
it  would  bo  weeks  before  her  husband  would  bo  able  to  go 
home.  "I  cannot  stay — and  if  I  go  back,  he  will  die! 
AVhat  shall  T  do  ?  AVhat  ti/tall  I  do  ?  "  she  cried,  wringing 
her  hands,  and  sobbing  bittcrVy. 

I  proposed  to  walk  into  the  ward,  and  sec  her  husband, 
while  I  thought  what  I  could  do  for  her.  To  my  surprise 
she  took  mo  to  tho  cot  of  one  of  my  "special  cases."  "Is 
it  yo\n-  wifo  that  has  come?"  I  exclaimed.  "Yea,  it's  7/ty 
ic//e,"  ho  replied,  while  his  eyes  filled  with  a  happy,  peaceful 
light.  "  O  Ilattie,  I  have  dreamed  so  often  of  your  coming, 
that  I  am  afraid  I  shall  wake  and  find —  Cut  no,  you  are 
here ain't  you,  Ilattio?" 

"Yes,  Charlie,  yes;"  and  tho  tears  fell  fast  upon  tho 
clasped  hands.  Tho  surgeon  in  chargo  consented  to  let 
ner  occupy  an  empty  cot  nort  to  her  husband,  and  tho 
nurses  changed  him  from  the  centre  to  ono  corner  of  tho 
ward.  For  her  board  she  helped  ua  in  tho  "  epccial  diet 
kitchen." 


MISS    MAI1Y    E.     anJELTON".  231 

Eternity  only  cau  rovcnl  tho  good  doiio  by  her  in  tlio 
month  sho  \vus  in  that  largo  ward,  containing  a  hundred 
beds.  Sho  remembered  that  Christ  had  said,  "  Inasmuch  as 
ye  havo  done  it  unto  one  of  tho  least  of  these,  yo  have  done 
it  unto  me;  "  and  day  and  night  occupied  her  spare  tiuio  in 
administering  to  her  husband's  fellow-suiFerers. 

Ono  day  of  tho  filth  week  of  her  stay,  I  saw  a  cloud  on 
her  sunny  face,  and  inquired  the  cause.  She  said  a  man  had 
died  in  the  ward,  and  tho  nurses  had  carried  him  out  head 
foremost,  and  that  sho  and  her  husband  deemed  this  a  bad 
sign.  Sho  had  tried  to  divert  his  attention  from  it,  but  ho 
had  replied,  "  It  ia  no  use,  llattio  ;  1  shall  go  next."  And 
ho  did.  I  cannot  calmly  recall  that  parting  scene.  You 
who  havo  laid  a  dear  ono  under  tho  sod,  near  your  own 
homo,  while  friends  and  relatives  wept  with  you,  can  know 
apart  of  her  grief.  Cut  you  who  havo,  liko  her,  loft  tho 
dear  dust  to  miiiglo  with  that  of  btrungera,  can  realize  tho 
depth  of  her  woe.  As  tho  cnrriago  was  announced  to  tako 
her  to  tho  depot,  sho  shrank  back,  exclaiming,  "How 
can  I  go  homo  to  my  children  !  I  promised  I  would 
not  return  without  their  father ;  and  to  Icavo  him  in  tho 
cold  ground  I  "  Hers  was  indeed  a  sad  case.  Her  trip 
homo  would  uso  up  tho  last  of  tho  borrowed  money,  and 
sho  would  havo  to  take  in  washing  to  support  her  children 
and  pay  back  tho  borrowed  hundred  dollars. 

Ono  cliiy,  a  well-dressed,  intelligent  woman  called  at  tho 
door  of  tho  diet  kitchen,  and  asked  to  seo  0110  of  tho  "  Chris 
tian  Commission"  ladies.  The  surgeon  had  sout  her  to  mo  to 
help  her  find  her  husband,  and  tho  directions  *woro,  "  13od 


232 


WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 


ono  hundred  six,  ward  two."  As  wo  went  up  the-  steps,  I 
noticed  that  she  trembled,  with  excitement.  I  inquired  if 
she  was  tired,  and  she  said,  "  No,"  though  she  hud  slept  none 
Bineu  leaving  her  home.  AVo  entered  the  ward,  and  tho 
nurse  pointed  out  tho  bud,  but  it  was  empty.  I  looked  at 
her,  mid  saw  sho  was  deadly  pale,  and  hastened  to  assure 
her  that  thcro  was  some  mistake,  as  she  would  not  havo 
been  sent  from  the  oflico  to  look  for  her  husband  if  ho  had 
been  dead.  While  I  had  been  talking  to  her,  tho  ward- 
inastcr  had  referred  to  his  book,  and  told  us  her  husband's 
leg  had  been  amputated  a  few  days  before,  and  ho  was  thon 
moved  to  ward  four.  Again  her  face  was  in  a  glow,  and  I 
could  hardly  keep  her  from  rushing  in  unannounced.  AVo 
could  sco  his  face  from  tho  door,  and  I  thought  him  asleep. 
Aa  I  Avas  holding  her  by  the  arm,  and  beckoning  to  one  of 
the  men  to  come  to  us,  ho  opened  his  eyes  full  upon  her. 
Such  11  scream  as  he  gave  !  Sho  bounded  from  me,  and  in 
a  moment  had  her  arms  around  his  neck,  both  crying  and 
laughing  at  the  same  time.  I  am  sure  neither  of  them 
uttered  a  whole  sentence  for  iit'tccn  minutes,  so  overpower 
ing  was  tho  joy  of  their  meeting.  His  recovery  was  almost 
miraculous,  and  one  month  from  tho  timo  she  came,  sho 
started  home  with  her  husband.  Tho  wife  remarked,  as 
she  bade  us  good-by,  that  sho  was  not  half  so  happy  tho 
morning  sho  started  on  her  bridal  tour  as  she  was  now, 
taking  her  husband,  though  he  left  one  leg  in  a  southern 
grave. 

Persons  unaccustomed  to  hospital  life  can  hardly  imagine 
how  absorbing  it  was.     Nor  can  they  conceivo  how  wo  could 


MISS     MARY    E.     81IELTOX.  233 

find  nny  enjoyment  in  life  while  surrounded  by  hundreds 
of  those  poor  wrecks  of  humanity,  from  whom  lite  had 
been  well  nigh  driven  by  southern  bullets.  Surely  God 
will  forgive  us,  if  —  us  the  long  months  of  untold  fcuillbriiig 
riso  before  us,  when  we  went  in  and  out  among  the  suf 
ferers,  while  they  wore  out  life  in  the  vain  hope  of  return 
ing  health,  and  finally  were  carried  to  the  grave  under  the 

folds  of  the  dear  old  Hag a  bitterness  comes  to  us  that  no 

words  can  express,  and  we  cannot  help  rejoicing  that  God 
has  said,  "  Vengeance  is  mine,  and  I  will  re-pay." 

l*e:u:e  has  eouie  to  us  xit  last  ;  and  iiou',  \viieii  almost  a 
year  has  passed  since  we  sat  in  front  of  the  White  lloiiac, 
and  looked  upon  the  great  army,  "with  banners,"  marching 
through  tiie  streets  of  Washington,  —  and  the  tears  camo 
more  freely  than  the  smiles,  as  we  «^ux.i.-d  at  the  bronzed 
faces,  torn  banners,  and  thinned  ranks,  —  atill  those  scenes 
are  too  vivid  for  us  to  realize  that  the  work  of  the  war  is 
over,  and  that  the  dear,  blessed  hospital  days  shall  eorno 
back  to  us  HO  more  Jorcvcr.  A\ro  call  them  "blessed  days," 
because  the  joy  of  ministering  to  the  rmlfcring  filled  our 
hearts  with  a  melody  before  unknown.  lint,  as  "  the  dark 
est  day  has  gleams  of  lii^ht,"  so  our  usually  dark  days  were 
often  illumed  with  gleams  of  brightness.  One  gleam, 
especially  bright,  came  to  us  November  -i,  18C4.  It  was  a 
dull,  rainy  clay  ;  such  a  day  as,  glancing  at  the  hospital 
windows,  you  would  not  fail  to  see  pale  faces,  full  of  weary 
longing,  looking  forth.  AVo  had  been  all  the  morning  in 
the  "diet  kitchen,"  and  the  dinner  for  our  largo  family  of 
over  three  hundred,  on  special  diet,  was  well  under  way. 
A.  rustle  at  tho  door,  and  looking  up,  wo  greeted  Mrs.  E. 


234  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

P.  Smith,  tho  wife  of  tho  Christian  Commission  agent. 
She  was  always  tho  bringer  of  good  tidings,  and  this  tinio 
especially  so. 

"  Wo  havo  eight  boxes  of  grapes  for  you,"  sho  said  ;  fr  tho 
nicest  Catawba,  Isabella,  &c.  ;  and  as  it  is  a  gloomy  day,  it 
will  bo  pleasant  to  distribute  them  at  once,  and  show  tho 
men  that  they  arc  not  forgotten  by  tho  friends  at  homo." 

We  acted  upon  tho  suggestion  immediately,  and,  accompa 
nied  by  tho  officer  of  the  day,  to  tell  us  who  could  have  grapes, 
wo  \vero  soon  passing  from  cot  to  cot.  It  was  wonderful 
how  tho  men  brightened  up.  They  could  scarcely  have  ex 
pressed  more  gratitude  had  ^vc  given  them  clusters  of  gold 
instead  of  grapes.  One  elderly  man  sat  on  the  side  of  his 
cot,  and  seemed  very  impatient  as  wo  paused  to  say  a  word 
to  others  near  him.  Ho  had  been  long  prostrated  with  a 
fever,  and  we  were  surprised  to  find  him  sitting  up  ;  for 
only  a  few  days  before  wo  had  taken  him  a  few  grapes,  and 
they  were  tho  first  thing  ho  had  eaten  for  days.  'We  know 
nothing  would  cheer  the  old  man  moro  than  a  little  pleas 
antry.  So,  as  I  came  up,  I  said,  with  much  solemnity, 
laying  tho  grapes  oil  his  stand,  "  To  thy  shrine,  O  hero  of 
tho  war,  I  bring  my  humble  offering  "  —  but  stopped  short 
at  that,  for  I  discovered  that  his  eyes  wero  full  of  tears. 
Ho  then  went  on  to  tell  mo,  that  ono  week  before  ho  had 
felt  sure  he  must  die.  Ho  could  eat  nothing,  and  felt  him 
self  sinking  slowly  into  tho  grave.  Then  tho  grapes  wero 
brought  him.  In  all  his  life  ho  had  never  tasted  anything 
half  so  refreshing.  The  first  thing  he  did  was  to  pray  God 
to  bless  tho  good  women  that  sent  -them.  Ho  took  no 
more  medicine, -and  his  recovery  was  rapid,  dating  from  tho 


MISS    MARY    E.     S1IEI.TON.  235 

first  grapo  ho  ato.  "  Thcro  is  a  good  wifo  up  in  'Wis 
consin,  and  a  houao  full  of  littlo  children,  that  will  bless 
the  Commission  whilo  life  lasts,"  said  the  old  man,  with 
fervency ;  and  I  turned  away,  lost  my  owu  toars  should 
minglo  with  tho  grateful  soldier's. 

In  one  corner  of  one  of  tho  wards  lay  n.  man  thin  and  pale, 
and  with  oycs  sufficiently  glittering  to  represent  tho  Ancient 
Mariner.  As  wo  camo  near,  wo  saw  ho  was  looking  almost 
fiercely  at  tho  dish  piled  high  with  grapes.  As  wo  laid  an 
unusually  generous  amount  on  tho  stand,  ho  smiled  grimly, 
and  began  crowding  them  into  hid  mouth.  The  officer  of 
tho  day  camo  up  in  haste,  and  said  that  man  must  not  havo 
any  ;  thoy  would  injure  him.  lie  was  not  to  bo  so  treated, 
and  clutched  them  in  both  hands.  Tho  doctor,  finding  re- 
moiistranco  in  vain,  took  tho  grapes  from  him  by  force,  as 
ho  was  too  weak  to  copo  with  a  strong  man.  A  disap 
pointed  child  could  not  havo  wept  more  bitterly  than  ho 
did,  to  bo  deprived  of  tho  only  thing  ho  had  wanted  for 
months.  My  heart  ached  for  him  ;  but  tho  doctor's  word 
was  law,  and  wo  could  only  tell  him  how  sorry  wo  were.  \Vo 
were  very  careful,  afterwards,  to  havo  the  doctor  go  ahead, 
and  point  out  any  that  could  not  havo  grapes,  so  as  to  avoid 
such  disappointments  in  future.  Hero  and  there  \vo  found 
a  man  that  would  look  longingly  at  tho  grapes,  but  shako 
his  head,  and  say  there  woro  others  so  much  worse  than  ho 
that  they  should  havo  them.  How  glad  we  were  to  bo  ablo 
to  say,  we  havo  enough  for  ovory  man  in  tho  hospital  ! 

AVo  had  one  case  of  a  soldier  that  had  boon  wounded,  — 
shot  through  tho  breast,  —  and  wore  thinking  how  much  ho 
would  enjoy  tho  grapes.  To  the  surprise  of  all,  ho  shook 


23 G  WOMJEX    OF    THE    WAR. 

his  head,  ami  then  told  us  that  tho  discharge  from  his 
wound  produced  such  nausea  that  ho  had  not  been  ablo  to 
oat  anything  for  some  time.  Ho  would  enjoy  tho  grapes  so 
much  but  for  that!  There  cumo  to  me  a  bright  thought  — 
just  arrived  from  tho  young  ladies  of  .Mount  IMcasant, 

Iowa oiio     box     hospital    stores,     handkerchiefs,    slippers, 

pillow-cases,  and  a  few  bottles  of  perfumery.  It  took  but 
a  moment  to  go  to  our  room,  return,  and  the  soldier 
found  himself  surrounded  by  far  more  savory  odors  than 
ever  iloated  from 

••Araliy  the  Bleat." 

« 

III  a  short  time  our  soldier  was  enjoying  tho  grapes,  and 
that  evening  ate  his  supper. 

jSTot  a  great  while  after,  as  we  entered  tho  hospital  gates 

with  a  basket  of  llowers tho  last  of  the  season  —  to 

brighten  for  a  few  days  tho  wards,  wo  were  surprised  to  see 
tho  samo  soldier  walking  slowly  towards  us.  He  bowed 
politely,  and  to  our  "What!  you  able  to  be  out?"  ho 
replied,  — 

"Yea,  miss,  the  grapes  and  cologne  saved  mo." 

Cut  it  would  bo  impossible  to  write-  out  one  half  of  tho 
interesting  occurrences  connected  with  that  one  day's  distri 
bution  of  grapes. 

Oiio  bright  day  in  July,  as  wo  passed  through  the  wards, 
many  of  tho  men  told  us,  that  they  thought  if  they  could 
get  out  into  tho  sunshine,  and  see  tho  trees  and  flowers 
growing,  it  would  almost  cure  them.  They  were  worn  out 
•with  staring  at  the  bare  walls  of  tho  Gun  Factory  Hospital, 
amj,  would  so  like  to  see  something  green. 


MISS    MAHV    E.     8IIELTOX.  237 

Accordingly  thero  was  a  "council  of  war "  held  in  the 
diet  kitchen,  and  the  result  was,  that  two  very  demure- 
looking  women,  wearing  tho  badge  of  tlio  Christian  Com 
mission,  started  out  to  steal.  With  covered  hand-basket:* 
they  went  directly  to  the  cemetery.  Hut  they  surely  could 
not  intend  making  any  depredations  there,  for  every  few 
steps  wero  signs  —  "Five  dollars  lino  for  breaking,  or  in 
any 'way  injuring,  tho  shrubbery."  They  wont  till  round  tho 
grounds,  and  soon  ascertained  that  there  w:is  only  0110 
grave-digger  in  tho  inclosure,  and  he  in  a  remote  part  of 
tho  ground*.  Whether  tho  Nashville  people  ever  discov 
ered  that  day's  work  Una  deponent  saith  not  ;  but  one  thing 
is  sure:  a  tablo  in,  Number  Ono  Hospital  was  soon  cov 
ered  with  (lowers,  from  t\vo  \voll-fill6M  baskets.  Tho  next 
question  was,  "What  would  bo  doiio  for  vases?  That  ques 
tion  was  soon  answered.  Tho  cans  from  which  tho  con 
densed  milk  had  been  taken  for  tho  pudding  were  just  tho 
thing.  Soon  every  ward  was  bright  and  fragrant  with 
flowers.  If  tho  perpetrators  of  tho  crimo  had  had  any 
compunctions  of  conscience  before,  they  all  vanished  aa 
tho  thanka  of  tho  men  camo  to  them  from  every  ward. 

While  tho  summer  lasted,  tho  flowers  did  their  good 
work,  but  no  0110  could  tell  whero  they  camo  from. 


CARRIE    SIIEADS. 

ETTYSBURGr  will  bo  ranked  in  history  ns  0110  of  tho 
* — A  few  great,  decisivo  battles  of  tho  world  ;  and,  ill 
consequence,  every  hero  who  fell,  and  a  great  many  of 
those  who  figured  there,  will  enjoy  a  prominence  not 
accorded  to  thoso  who  fought  and  bled  oil  tho  other 
fields.  So  of  those  who  wero  casually  connected  with 
those  thrco  moineiito*ts  days,  so  big  with  tho  destiny  of 
tho  republic. 

Tho  name  of  Carrio  Sheads,  besides  its  association  with 
that  groat  battle-field,  will  bo  remembered  as  of  ono  who, 
being  summoned,  by  tho  tcrriblo  boom  of  hostile  cannon, 
from  a  lifo  of  quiet  and  scholastic  seclusion,  met  the  tcr 
riblo  demands  of  tho  hour  with  tho  calmness  of  a  heroine, 
and,  amid  tho  roar  and  crash  of  battle,  and  tho  fierce 
hate  of  tho  fiery  belligerents,  acted  with  a  discretion  and 
genuine  courage  which  entitle  her  name  and  her  act  to 
bo  held  in  perpetual  remembrance  by  the  daughters  of 
America. 

When  Lec'd  army  advanced  to  tho  invasion  of  Pennsyl 
vania,  Miss  Shoada  was  principal  of  Oakridgo  Seminary,  a 
short  distance  west  of  the  village.  As  many  idlo  and 
groundless  rumors  of  tho  rebel  advance  had  reached  tho 
village,  sho  had  at  length  dismissed  anxiety,  become  indif- 

(238) 


c.vimiE   tin  K  ADS.  239 

fcrciit  to  the  reports,  and  kept  on  in  tho  even  tenor  of  her 
way;  little  dreaming  how  soon,  or  how  fiercely  the  storm 
would  burst  around  her.  Tho  evening  of  tho  30th  of  Juno 
camo,  and  with  it  Ruford'd  cavalry,  tho  vail  of  tho  army  of 
tho  Potomac.  Tho  first  brigade  of  this  division  camped  on 
tho  Chambers! mrg  Pike,  not  more  than  two  hundred  yards 
from  tho  seminary. 

Closing  the  usual  routine  of  tho  day,  she  promised  her 
scholars  a  holiday  oil  the  morrow,  to  enable  them  to  visi^. 
tho  camp,  and  contribute  to  the  comfort  of  the  weary  and 
hungry  soldier  boys. 

The  next  morning  was  ushered  in  by  the  heavy  boom  of 
artillery,  soon  followed  by  sharp  volleys  of  carbine  and 
musket  shots.  So  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  had  war 
uiifurlfd  its  gorgeous  but  bloody  panorama  around  her  and 
tho  cluster  of  girls  in  her  care,  that  no  time  was  left  to 
withdraw  to  a  place  of  safety,  and  the  battle  was  now 
actually  raging  a  few  hundred  3'ards  from  her  door. 

So  near  tho  lino  of  battle,  and  siti«:.'tcd  on  the  turnpike, 
the  buildings  of  Oakridgo  Seminary  were  soon  used  as  a 
hospital ;  and,  with  that  amaxing  suddenness  which  can 
happen  only  in  a  time  of  active  and  invasivo  warfare, 
Miss  Shcads  found  herself  converted  from  tho  principal  of 
a  3'oung  ladies*  seminary  into  tho  lady  superintendent  of  an 
army  hospital.  Tho  world  is  familiar  with  tho  story  of  this 
great  battlo,  of  which  this  cavalry  engagement  on  tho 
morning  of  tho  1st  of  July  wua  tho  opening  ;  how  Cuford, 
•with  his  handful  of  cavalry,  checked  the  advance  of  tho  rebel 
masses,  till  Reynolds,  with  tho  First  corps,  camo  to  their 
relief,  and,  by  tho  assistance  of  the  Eleventh  and  part  of 


240  WOMEN"    OF    THE    WAR. 

tho Tlii rtl,  seized  upon  tho  key  point  of  tho  position,  — tho 
Cemetery  Kulge, —  which  was  strengthened  by  tho  cntiro 
Union  force  as  it  came  up,  ami  which,  at  tho  end  of  thrco 
days  of  awful  carnage,  remained  securo  in  the-  iron  grasp 
of  tho  T-Vderal  army.  Tho  issuo  of  tho  first  day's  fight 
was  the  falling*  back  of  Howard — who  commanded  after 

Reynolds     fell fnmi     Seminary    Ridge,     wlicro     (ho     action 

began,  to  Cemetery  Uidge,  on  tho  other  side  of  tho  town. 
Slowly  and  sadly  the  veterans  of  tho  First  corps  turned  to 
obey  tho  order.  And,  although  tho  rebels  pressed  them 
hard,  and  sought  by  desperate  charges  and  wild  huzzas  to 
rout  them  in  confusion,  still  they  maintained  their  disci 
pline,  and  obstinately  contested  every  inch  of  ground. 

Reynolds  had  fallen,  but  tho  dead  hero  had  left  his  own 
gallant  and  self-devoting  spirit  in  tho  breasts  of  his  men. 
They  were  fighting  on  their  o\vii  soil,  by  their  own  hearth 
stones,  on  hills  that  had  been  familiar  to  many  of  them 
from  boyhood  ;  and  this  had  mnclo  heroes  of  them  all. 

Among  tho  last  to  leavo  tho  field  we ro  tho  Ninety-seventh 
New  York  infantry,  commanded  by  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Charles  "\Vheelock,  who,  after  fighting  hand-to-hand  as 
long  as  there  was  a  shadow  of  hope,  undertook  to  lead  his 
broken  column  through  tho  only  opening  in  the  enemy's 
lines,  which  were  fast  closing  around  him. 

Arriving  on  the  grounds  of  Oakridgo  Seminary,  tho  gal 
lant  colonel  found  his  only  avenue  of  escape  effectually 
closed,  and,  standing  in  a  vortex  of  firo,  from  front,  rear, 
and  both  ilanks,  encouraged  hia  men  to  fight  with  tho  naked 
bayonet,  hoping  to  force  a  passage  through  the  walls  of 
stool  which  surroxmclcd  him.  Finding  all  hia  uflbrta  vain, 


CAIIUIE     6HE1ADS.  241 

ho  ascended  tho  steps  of  tho  seminary,  and  waved  a  white 
pocket  hand  kerchief  in  token  of  surrender.  Tho  re  be  id, 
not  seeing  it,  or  taking  no  notice  of  it,  continued  to  pour 
their  murderous  volleys*  into  tho  helpless  ranks.  Tho  colo 
nel  then  opened  tho  door,  and  called  for  u  largo  whites  cloth. 
Carrie  Sheads  stood  there,  and  readily  supplied  him  with 
Olio.  \Vheii  tho  rebels  saw  his  token  of  surrender  they 
ceased  firing,  and  the  colonel  went  into  tho  basement  to 
rest  himself,  for  ho  was  thoroughly  exhausted. 

Soon  a  rebel  officer  came  in,  with  it  detail  of  men,  and, 
oil  entering,  declared,  with  an  oath,  that  ho  would  show 
them  "  aouthern  grit."  IIo  then  began  taking  tho  officers' 
sido  arms.  Seeing  Colonel  AVheolock  vainly  oudoavoriug 
to  break  his  sword,  which  was  of  trusty  metal,  and  resisted 
all  his  efforts,  tho  rebel  demanded  tho  weapon  ;  but  tho 
colonel  was  of  tho  samo  temper  as  his  sword,  and  turniug 
to  tho  rebel  soldier,  declared  ho  would  never  surrender  his 
sword  to  a  traitor  while  ho  lived.  Tho  rebel  then  drew  a 
revolver,  and  told  him  if  ho  did  not  surrender  his  sword  ho 
would  shoot  him.  But  tho  colonel  was  a  veteran,  and  had 
been  in  closo  places  before.  Drawing  himself  up  proudly, 
ho  toro  open  his  uniform,  and  still  grasping  his  woll-tried 
blado,  bared  his  bosom,  and  bade  tho  rebel  "  shoot,"  but  ho 
would  guard  his  sword  with  his  life.  At  this  moment, 
Klias  Shcads,  Carrie's  father,  stepped  between  tho  two,  and 
begged  thorn  not  to  bo  rash  ;  but  ho  was  soon  pushed  aside, 
and  tho  rebel  repeated  his  threat.  Seeing  tho  danger  to 
which  tho  colonel  was  exposed,  Miss  Sheada,  truo  to  the 
instincts  of  her  sex,  rushed  between  them,  and  besought 
tho  robel  not  to  kill  a  man  so  completely  in  his  power  j 
16 


242  WOMEX    OF    THE    WAR. 

there  was  already  enough  blood  shod,  and  why  ndd  nnothor 
defenceless  victim  to  the  list?  Then  turning  to  the  colonel, 
she  pleaded  with  him  not  to  he  so  rush,  but  to  surrender 
his  sword,  and  save  his  life  ;  that  by  refusing  ho  would  lose 
both,  and  tho  government  would  lose  a  valuable  officer. 
But  the  colonel  still  refused,  saying,  "This  sword  was 
given  me  by  niy  friends  for  meritorious  conduct,  and  I 
promised  to  guard  it  sacredly,  and  never  surrender  or  dis 
grace  it;  and  I  never  will  while  I  live."  Fortunately,  at 
this  moment  the  attention  of  tho  rebel  officer  was  drawn 
away  for  tho  timo  by  tho  entrance  of  other  prisoners,  and 
•while  he  was  thus  occupied  IVIias  Shcads,  seizing  the  favor 
able  opportunity,  with  admirable  presence  of  mind  unclasped 
tho  colonel's  sword  from  his  belt,  and  hid  it  in  the  folds  of 
her  dross.  "When  tho  rebel  officer  returned,  the  colonel 
told  him  ho  was  willing  to  surrender,  and  that  one  of  his  men 
had  taken  his  sword  and  passed  out.  This  artifice  succeed 
ed,  and  tho  colonel  "  fell  in  "  with  tho  other  prisoners,  who 
were  drawn  up  in  line  to  march  to  the  rear,  and  thence  to 
some  one  of  tho  loathsome  southern  prison  pens,  many  of 
them  to  meet  a  terrible  death,  and  fill  an  unknown  grave. 

\Vhcu  the  prisoners  had  till  been  collected,  and  wcro 
about  starting,  Miss  Shcads,  remembering  tho  wounded  men 
in  the  house,  turned  to  tho  rebel  officer,  and  told  him  that 
there  wcro  seventy-two  wounded  men  in  the  building,  and 
asked  him  if  ho  would  not  leave  some  of  tho  prisoners  to 
help  take  care  of  them.  Tho  officer  replied  that  ho  had 
already  left  three.  "  But,"  said  Miss  Shcads,  n  three  are  not 
aufficicut."  "Then  keep  five,  and  select  those  you  want, 
except  commissioned  officers,"  was  the  rebel's  unexpected 


^  CARRIE    BREADS .  243 

reply.  On  the  fifth  day  after  the  battle,  Colonel  Whcclock 
unexpectedly  made  his  appearance,  and  received  his  a  word 
from  the  hands  of  its  noble  guardian,  with  those  profound 
emotions  which  only  the  soldier  can  feel  and  understand, 
and,  with  the  sacred  blade  again  in  his  possession,  started 
at  once  to  the  front,  where  he  won  for  himself  new  laurels, 
and  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  a  brigadier-general.  Ho 
had  managed  to  effect  his  escape-  from  the  rebels  while 
crossing-  South  Mountain,  and,  after  considerable  difficulty 
ami  Stifle  ring,  succeeded  in  reaching  (ictlysburg  in  safety. 
General  AVhcdock  finally  died  of  camp  fever,  in  Washing 
ton  City,  near  the  eloso  of  the  war,  in  January,  1865, 

As  the  battle  raged,  Miss  She-ads  and  her  little  flock  con 
tinued  untcrrificd  in  the  midst  of  the  awful  cannonade,  she 
soothing  and  cheering  the-  girls,  and  they  learning  from 
her  that  noble  calmness  in  danger  which,  under  all  circum 
stances,  and  in  cither  sex.  stamps  the  character  with  an  air 
of  truo  nobility,  and  indicates  genuine  heroism. 

The  seminary  was  hit  in  more  than  sixty  places,  and  two 
shells  passed  entirely  through  it.  At  length  Miss  She-ads 
and  her  young  ladies  became  accustomed,  as  it  were,  to  the 
situation,  and  in  the  intervals  of  the  uproar  would  walk 
out  in  the  grounds,  and  watch  the  magnificent  yet  fearful 
sight,  that  tho  elopes  of  Cemetery  Hill  presented. 

All  devoted  themselves  to  the  great  number  of  wounded 
with  whom  their  halls  and  largo  rooms  were  crowded.  For 
many  daya  after  tho  fighting  ceased,  and  Lee  had  withdrawn 
his  mutilated  army  south  of  the  mountain,  these  poor  fol 
lows  remained  there,  and  were  most  kindly  cared  for,  till 
all  whoso  injuries  were  serious  had  boon  removed  to  the 


244  WOMKX  OF  TITE   WAR. 

«* 

general  hospitals  that  had  been  fitted  up  on  tho  hills  at  tho 
other  side  of  tho  town. 

The  annoyance  suffered  by  having  tho  battle  at  their 
threshold  was  not  tho  only  trial  which  tho  war  laid  upon  tho 
family  of  Miss  Sheads.  There  were  four  brothers,  who, 
imbibing  tho  spirit  of  patriotism  which  animated  so  many 
thousands  in  all  tho  loyal  states  at  tho  outbreak  of  tho 
rebellion,  thought 

"The  time  had  come  when  brothers  munt  fight, 
And  sisters  nui.it  pray  at  homo." 

The  two  eldest  joined  tho  army  at  tho  first  call  for 
troops,  and  by  reeiilistmont  remained  in  service  until  0110 
was  discharged  for  disability,  and  tho  other  fell  whilo 
bravely  fighting  at  tho  battle  of  Monocacy. 

The  other  two  joined  tho  army  later ;  0110  of  whom 
entered  tho  hospital  at  City  Point,  whilo  tho  other  received, 
at  White  Oak  Swamp,  wounds  which  have  mado  him  an 
invalid  for  life.  All  four  have  proved  their  loyalty  ou  tho 
bloody  field,  and,  while  two  of  them 

"  Sleep  their  I/tat  sleep, 
And  liavc  fought  their  lost  battle," 

another,  by  her  exertions  in  providing  for  tho  sufferers  and 
for  tho  family,  at  tho  tiiiio  of  tho  groat  battle,  has  ren 
dered  herself  a  chronic  invalid.  Thus  five  of  this  interest 
ing  and  deeply  loyal  family  have  laid  tho  most  precious  of 
earthly  gifts  —  life  and  health —  as  free-will  offerings  on  the 
altar  of  their  country. 


MRS.    STEPHEN    BARKER. 

SAVS  an  old  Greek  thinker,  "  Wi\r  is  tho  father  of 
all  things."  For  it  is  only  in  the  strife  of  strong 
passions,  ami  amid  the  sudden  ami  pressing  demands  \vhic-h 
ariso  in  a.  state  of  Avar,  that  fine  qualities  and  superior 
abilities  find  a  theatre  for  their  action,  and  come  to  the  light 
of  day  and  tho  admiration  of  men.  In  all  former  Avars 
opportunity  wns  given  to  man  only.  IIo  could  distinguish 
himself.  IIo  could  assert  his  manhood,  prove  his  courage, 
and  win  his  laurels. 

For  woman  it  only  remained  to  sit  in  solitary  and  anxious 
sadness,  to  follow  her  hero  in  thoughts  and  dreams,  and  to 
await  tho  conflict  that  should  hriiig  him  hack,  shattered  and 
bleeding,  to  receive  the  ministries  of  domestic  kindness. 

Our  Avar  has  changed  all  this.  The  history  of  our 
armies,  and  especially  of  our  hospitals  ;  tho  great  number 
of  those  who  recovered  from  fearful  Avounds  and  Avent  back 
to  their  regiments  ;  tho  still  greater  mitubor  of  those  who 
roso  from  tho  beds  where  they  had  languished  with  linger 
ing  and  painful  diseases,  — all  show  that  ft  wonderful  advance 
has  been  made  in  tho  sanitary  condition  of  armies  in  active 
service.  And  this  advance  is  duo  mainly  to  the  efficiency, 
the  warmth  of  devotion,  and  ho  systematized  sanitary  and 
hospital  labor  of  unsalaried  lady  superintendents  and  lady 


246  WOMEN  OF  TIIE  WAR. 

nurses.  In  the  broad  field  thus  opciicd  for  woman,  in  tho 
day  of  national  trial  and  disaster,  there  is  scope  and  verge 
for  every  stylo  of  feimile  character ;  there  id  emplo3rmcnt 
for  every  sort  of  feminine  skill  ;  there  is  good  to  he  done, 
pain  to  be  soothed,  life  to  be  saved,  and  armies  to  be  kept 
up  in  numbers  and  in  morale,  by  every  class  of  talent, 
by  every  gift  aud  grace  which  decorate  the  character  of 
the  sex. 

A.S,  among  tho  men,  some  can  organize  an.  army,  but  caii- 
not  plan  j\  campaign  ;  some  can  lead  u  gallant  charge,  who 
coiild  not  restore  a  broken  line  ;  some  can  animate  the  flag 
ging  courago  of  a  brigade,  who  could  not  take  tho  aamc 
brigade  across  a  rapid  river,  or  over  a  rugged  mountain,  — 
so,  among  tho  women,  one  was  found  exactly  adapted  to  the 
management  of  a  large  diet  kitchen  ;  another  could  do 
most  good  by  sitting  beside  the  cots  of  tho  suilerers,  and 
speaking  pleasant  words  of  cheer  and  sympathy,  or  singing 
old  songs  in  a  low  tone,  or  suggesting  divino  consolations 
to  those  who  were  passing  beyond  the  reach  of  all  human 
medicine. 

Others,  again,  were  found  to  possess  a  genius  for  organi 
zation.  They  could  select  agents  and  committees  with 
unerring  sagacity  and  insight.  They  knew  whom  to  send  on 
this  errand,  und  wbo  could,  not  discharges  tbia  or  that  oliico 
with  success. 

Others  again and  this  number  WAS  not  largo were  found 

specially  useful  as  superintendents  and  occasional  visitors, 
who  should  sec  that  110  neglect  or  abuse  sprang  up  amid  tho 
general  profusion  of  fine  qualities  and  generous  acts  ;  that 
kindness  should  not  be  wasted  on  tho  unworthy,  or  chari- 


MUS.     STEPHEN    BARKER.  247 

ties  lavished  ou  those  who  were  hopelessly  depraved  ;  that 
tho  machinery  of  beneficence  should  not  bo  employed  to 
servo  baso  or  unworthy  ends ;  that  funds  raised  for  tho 
benefit  of  tho  soldier  should  redound  ouly  to  his  good  ;  that 
luxuries  should  not  bo  consumed  by  nurses  and  ward- 
mastcrs  ;  and  that  tho  gifts  of  tho  people  should  not  super 
sede,  but  ouly  muko  moro  complete  and  effective,  tho 
provision  that  government  makes  for  her  suffering  sons. 
It  is  in  this  latter  class,  of  Iho  kind,  wise,  and  judicious 
hospital  superintendents,  that  Airs.  Barker  belongs. 

Tho  period  of  her  activo  service  was  tho  wholo  timo  of 
tho  duration  of  hostilities.  JSho  begun  her  work  in  tho 
summer  of  16*61,  and  did  not  ceaso  her  labors  for  tho 
soldier  till  tho  armies  were  diabaiidcd,  and  tho  hospitals 
dismantled,  in  tho  summer  of  18(>5. 

Her  husband  was  appointed  chaplain  of  tho  Fourteenth 
Massachusetts  infantry  —  afterwards  tho  First  heavy  artil 
lery —  in  July,  1861  ;  and  Mrs.  Barker,  having  resolved  to 
share  tho  fortunes  of  this  regiment,  in  tho  service  of  its 
sick  and  wounded,  went  to  Washington  in  August,  and 
commenced  at  onco  her  hospital  labors. 

Few  of  tho  army  workers  seem  to  havo  brought  to  their 
self-imposed  tasks  such  an  earnest  desiro  to  ascertain  tho 
precise  lino  of  duty  and  tho  sphcro  of  greatest  usefulness 
for  a  nurso  in  a  military  hospital. 

In  speaking  on  this  subject,  Mrs.  Barker  uses  tho  follow 
ing  language,  whoso  clear  good  senso  at  onco  recommends 
itself  to  thoso  who  may  desiro  to  learn  tho  best  wanner  of 
making  themselves  effective  among  soldiers  :  — 

"  Of  course  no  useful  work   con  be  accomplished  without 


24.8  WOMEN"    OP    THE     WAR. 

the  consent  and  confidence  of  the  surgeons.  These  can  bo 
deserved  and  won  only  by  strict  and  honorable  obedience  to 
orders.  The  first  duty  is  to  learn  what  government  sup 
plies  can  properly  bo  expected  in  a  hospital  ;  next,  to  bo 
sure  that  when  they  are  wanting-  they  aro  not  withheld 
through  the  ignorance  or  carelessness  of  sub-officials  ;  and 
lastly,  that  the  soldier  ia  sincere  and  reliable  in  the  state 
ment  of  his  wants. 

"The  discretionary  powers  granted  by  tho  surgeons  was 
nioro  than  I  had  even  hoped  for,  and  tho  generous  confi 
dence  shown  by  the  officers  of  the  Sanitary  Commission,  in 
furnishing  tho  supplies  I  asked  for,  soon  gave  me  all  tho 
facilities  I  needed  for  an  engrossing  and  useful  work." 

Mrs.  Barker  was  a  general  though  constant  hospital 
visitor  in  Washington  during  the  winter  of  18G1  and 
18G2. 

In  March,  18 02,  and  from  that  time  on  for  two  years, 
till  the  spring  of  18<>4,  sho  was  located  at  Fort  Albany, 
one  of  the  defences  of  tho  capital,  where  the  First  heavy 
artillery  was  stationed.  I  lore  she  was  mainly  occupied  as 
special  nurse  of  the  sick  and  wounded  of  this  regiment. 
She  depended  on  the  Sanitary  Commission  for  most  of  her 
hospital  supplies,  and  became  thoroughly  identified  with 
tho  regiment,  so  that  she  was  frequently  asked,  in  jest, 
what  were  her  rank  and  pay.  On  Sundays,  while  the  chap 
lain  was  about  his  regular  duties,  sho  read  aloud  in  the 
hospital,  generally  a  sermon  of  Henry  "Ward  Beecher,  to 
which  sho  nhvaya  found  a  ready  and  attentive  audience. 
The  hospital  tents  were  very  near  the  quarters  occupied  by 
•Chaplain  Barker  and  his  wife,  and  they  visited  the  patients 


MRS.     STEPHEN    BAIULER.  249 

at  all  hours  of  tho  day  and  night ;  and  the  poor  fellows  who 
lay  suffering  thcro  woro  constantly  on  her  mind.  "Even 
when  absent  from  them,'*  she  says,  "and  engaged  in  other 
duties,  I  still  gavo  to  them  tho  warmest  offerings  of  my 
heart." 

Eurly  iu  1864,  the  United  States  Sanity  ry  Commission 
had  determined  to  employ  "  hospital  visitors,"  in  order  to 
secure  a  more  thorough  and  faithful  distribution  of  articles 
intended  for  soldiers,  and  Mrs.  LSarker  was  the  first  lady 
detailed  to  this  special  aud  important  branch  of  service. 

The  plan  upon  which  she  proceeded,  was  to  make  daily 
uii  inspection  tour,  visit  each  bedside,  note  the  wants  of 
each  individual,  inquire  into  any  eases  of  neglect,  omission, 
or  inattention  on  tho  part  of  ward-masters  or  hired  nurses, 
provide-  reading  matter,  stationery,  and  other  needed  com 
forts. 

She  found  a  surprising  misconception  in  tho  minds  of  a 
great  number  of  tho  HIGH  as  to  tlio  real  source  of  their 
comforts.  Many  supposed  it  was  simply  good  Unelo  Sam 
who  was  looking  so  closely  and  so  kindly  after  *.ho  wants  of 
his  wounded  boys.  Others,  again,  were  lavish,  and  even 
touching,  in  their  thanks  to  /<cr,  as  though  this  profusion, 
of  which  she  was  tho  only  appointed  almoner,  came  from 
her  own  supplies,  or  was  purchased  with  her  private 
purse. 

"In  all  this  I  found,"  sho  writes,  a  a  wider  rnngo  of 
action,  more  varied  calls  for  sympathy,  greater  demands  fof 
aid  to  both  mind  and  body,  all  of  which  were  enough  to 
keep  one  oil  tho  keenest  strain  of  active  life,  ao  that  thero 
was  no  gift,  or  knowledge,  or  graceful  accomplishment, 


250  WOMEN    OF    TI1E    WAR. 

which  did  not  como  in  play  to  complete  the  circle  of 
woman's  work  in  hospitals." 

The  hospitals  assigned  to  her  for  this  kind  of  visitation 
wcro  the  I  la  ro  wood,  the  Engineers'  Corps,  the  Ktist  Capi 
tol,  the  Sherbiirii  and  Clifton  Barracks,  tho  Circle,  Cauip 
13arrj  ,  and  tho  Deserters**  Hospital. 

Ilaruwood  coiituiiied  as  many  as  all  tho  other  six:,  nnd 
sho  regularly  began  at  the  first  ward  of  Hare  wood  every 
jVEoiiday  morning,  doing  all  sho  thought  needful  as  sho 
went  along,  going  through  as  many  wards  as  possible 
before  dinner  at  two  o'clock.  After  dinner  sho  took  SOUIG 
one  of  the  smaller  hospitals,  devoting  tho  entire  afternoon 
to  ita  wards. 

Next  morning  she  began  among  the  Ilarowood  patients 
•where-  she  left  oil",  proceeding  as  before  till  dinner  time, 
and  in  the  afternoon  took  another  small  hospital.  Thus, 
by  constant  and  e»3rstematic  labor,  she  made  the  round  of  all 
tho  patients  who  were  in  this  general  way  assigned  to  her 
supervision.  It  was  not  possible  that  she  should  visit  and 
talk  with  every  patient  in  so  many  thousands.  But  her 
powers  and  duties  wcro  soon  well  understood.  She  was 
known  o-s  "  tho  hospital  visitor,"  and  every  marked  or  pecu 
liar  case,  instance  of  neglect,  privation,  or  uncommon 
suffering  or  destitution,  was  at  once  called  to  her  atten 
tion.  An  attendant  accompanied  her,  who  was  loaded  with 
a  great  variety  of  articles.  lie  spoke  most  of  the  common 
German  dialects,  eo  that  aho  could  thus  understand  tho 
wants  of  those  who  spoke  poor  or  broken  English,  and  par 
ticularly  many  from  tho  interior  counties  of  Pennsylvania. 

^Meantime    tho  First    heavy  artillery    had    gone    out    with 


ains. 


BARKER.  251 


Grant,  and  was  plunged  into  0110  after  another  of  those 
bloody  battles,  which  wuro  the  hard  conditions  011  which 
alone  tho  stubborn.  rebel  chief  was  forced  back  to  the 
lines  before  Richmond.  Every  few  days  she  would 
find  ono  of  her  boys  coming  back,  in  bandages  and 
bloody  uniform,  from  SpotLsylvaiiia,  or  Cold  Harbor,  or 
Petersburg. 

Certainly  tho  partiality  was  venial  if  sho  lingered  a  little 
longer  by  their  cots,  or  ordered  a  special  disbursement  from 
tho  supply  basket,  or  gave  an  extra  word  of  direction  to 
tho  ward-master  and  tho  special  nurse.  In  addition  to  this 
regular  and  daily  round  of  visitation,  her  leisure  moments 
and  tho  cvcuiuga  were  almost  wholly  engrossed,  with  tho 
labors  of  a  steadily  increasing  correspondence. 

Sceptical  as  the  soldier  hail  become  of  army  agents  and 
post-office  clerks,  ho  felt  certain  that  any  matter  intrusted 
to  her  caro  would  bo  thoroughly  and  promptly  attended  to. 
Thus  she  became  a  special  forwarding  agent  for  tho  soldiers 
of  money,  and  various  mementos  and  keepsakes,  sent  from 
the  front  to  her,  to  be  forwarded  to  their  friends  in  Massa 
chusetts,  and  other  northern  states.  A  letter  was  mailed  at 
the  same  time  the  package  was  expressed.  Thus,  within  a 
few  weeks,  several  thousand  dollars  passed  through  her 
hands  in  small  sums,  and  all  safely  reached  their  proper 
destination. 

These  labors  continued  till  tho  latter  part  of  tho  year 
18G4,  when  tho  New  York  Woman's  Central  Kclicf  Associa 
tion  sent  for  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barker  to  ongago  in.  a  special 
homo  service.  Its  president,  Louisa  Loo  Schuylcr,  —  than 


252  WOMEN    OP    TIFE    WAR. 

whom  tho  war  developed  no  organizing  and  directing  talent 
more  admirable  among  all  the  daughters  of  America,  —  had 
planned  a  tour  and  marked  out  a  programme  for  them. 
They  wcro  to  go  to  the  various  aid  societies  in  New  York, 
IBrooklyn,  Astoria,  Harlem,  Hastings,  Irvington,  Rhiiie- 
beck,  Albany,  Troy,  Syracuse,  Auburn,  and  JBuflalo  ;  and, 
while  he  gave  one  or  more  public  lectures,  she  mingled 
socially  with  tho  various  members,  talked  of  her  hospital 
life,  and  narrated  many  scenes  and  incidents  ;  thus  assur 
ing  them  that  their  labors  were  not  underrated,  miscon 
ceived,  or  lightly  valued  in  tho  army,  and  that  by  far  tho 
greater  part  of  their  supplies  was  faithfully  applied  to 
promoting  tho  soldier's  comfort,  and  hastening  his  con 
valescence. 

This  service  continued  till  the  spring  of  18G5,  when  she 
returned  to  tho  hospitals.  At  tho  time  of  Leo's  surrender 
there  was  a  call  for  a  special  relief  system,  in  preparing  tho 
armies  of  war-worn  veterans,  who  had  suffered  so  much  and 
accomplished  so  much  for  tho  nation,  to  return  home  in 
clothes  leas  ragged  and  soiled  than  those  in  which  they  had 
chased  Lcc.  Many  too,  poor  fellows  !  notwithstanding  the 
universal  joy  of  tho  hour,  were  sick  and  worn  down  with 
protracted  fatigues,  and  needed  peculiar,  and  deserved  tho 
most  grateful,  attention  from  tho  citizens  of  tho  republic 
which  they  had  saved.  i\Irs.  Barker  was  engaged  direct 
ing  and.  aiding  in.  a  rapid,  generous,  and  thorough  distri 
bution  of  sanitary  supplies  for  tho  benefit  of  these  noble 
fellows.  Hospital  work  was  for  a  time  suspended,  and  tho 
whole  sanitary  force  was  applied  to  this  Held  of  labor, 


MRS.    STEPHEN    BARKER.  •    253 

which  in  twenty  days  was  so  thoroughly  accomplished,  that 
even  tho  scattered  men  on  detached  duty  were  all  visited, 
and  their  wants  supplied. 

With  this  eervico  culminated  tho  hospital  labors  of 
Mrs.  Tiarker.  Now  aha  sought  again  homo  and  its  sacred 
privacy,  carrying  with  her  tho  abundant  consolation  of 
having  passed  four  years  of  laborious  usefulness  in  tho 
most  active  and  wisely  directed  beneficence. 


MRS.    BELLE    REYNOLDS. 

TILE  tocsiu  of  war,  when  it  penetrates  to  tho 
where  young  married  life  ami  love  are  nestled  in  the 
happiness  of  secure  enjoyment,  starts  questions  as  difliciilt 
and  as  painful  in  their  solution  as  any  that  life  presents. 
Where  lies  tho  path  of  duty  ?  What  shall  I  do  ?  Which 
horn  of  this  fearful  dilemma  shall  I  grasp?  I  have  a  duty 
to  my  country,  and  also  a  duty,  most  tender  and  sacred, 
to  my  wife.  "Which  is  paramount?  In  how  many  cases, 
during  our  great  national  crisis,  has  this  question  been  met 
and  decided  in  a  spirit  that  gave  tho  army  another  hero, 
hoping  to  live,  having  everything  to  live  for,  3*ct  ready  to 
die  for  his  country  when  that  sacrifice  should  ho  demanded  ! 
On  tho  wife's  part,  too,  how  painful  and  embarrassing  arc 
the  questions  that  arise  !  If  she  remains  at  home,  there  aro 
the  constant  suspense,  tho  ceaseless  anxiety,  tho  abiding 
apprehension  of  evil  tidings  which  may  reach  her  in  every 
newspaper,  or  from  the  cries  of  news-boys  on  tho  streets. 
These  iill  every  waking  hour,  and  even  in  sleep  her  dreams 
are  haunted  with  visions  of  terror  and  coming  sorrow.  If, 
frco  from  ties  that  retain  her  at  home,  sho  accompanies 
him,  she  must  share  all  the  rudeness  and  all  tho  hard 
ships  of  camp  life,  and  tho  delicacy  and  refinement  of  her 
sex  must,  for  a  time,  bo  laid  aside  ;  the  earth  must  bo  her 

(234) 


1 1  i 


MRS.     BELLE    REYNOLDS.  255 

couch,  an  army  wagon  her  carriage,  her  carpet  the  green 
sward,  and  her  boudoir  the  thin  and  often  dirty  expanse  of 
a  triangular  tent;  black  cofVcc,  hard-tack,  and  a  slice  of  fat 
bacon,  fried  on  the  end  of  a  ramrod,  must  frequently  bo  her 
bill  of  fare  ;  and  with  all  thcao  she  cannot  really  accompany 
her  husband.  His  duties  will  keep  him  by  the  side  of  his 
men,  where  she  cannot  go,  unless  she  should  don  the. 
uniform  and  shoulder  the  musket  ;  and  this  would  not  bo 
permitted.  I  Jut  it  is  possible:  for  the  devoted  wife,  without 
sacrificing'  the  delicacy  of  her  sex,  to  be,  for  a  great  part  of 
tho  time,  within  abort  diatutico  of  her  husband  in  active 
service.  When  the  forces  are  in  garrison,  she  can  bo  with 
him  constantly;  and  when  ho  is  wounded,  she  may  be  near 
enough  to  dress  his  wounds  ;  and  when  he  falls,  bho  may 
sccuro  for  him  a  careful  and  Christian,  burial.  This  course 
of  life  was  tho  one  Mrs.  Reynolds  chose  in  the  summer  of 
18(J1,  when  her  husband  enlisted  in  tho  Seventeenth  regi 
ment  of  Illinois  volunteers.  She  is  a  native  of  {Shelburno 
Falls,  Massachusetts,  and  had  been  married  to  Lieutenant 
Reynolds,  a  resident  of  l*eoria,  Illinois,  but  a  few  months 
when  the  war  broke  out.  Tho  regiment  to  which  her  hus 
band  belonged  was  tho  most  popular  in  tho  western  army, 
being  one  of  tho  earliest  in  tho  field,  and  during  tho  whole 
war  in  active  service. 

On  tho  night  of  August  10,  1801,  she  landed  at  Cairo, 
Illinois,  and  tho  next  morning  joined  her  husband  tit  I3ird's 
Point,  Missouri,  his  regiment  being  encamped  at  that  place. 
From  this  time  till  near  tho  cloao  of  tho  war,  Mrs.  Rey 
nolds  kept  a  journal  of  her  army  life  and  adventures.  Of 
her  first  experience  in  camp  she  writca  aa  follows  :  — 


256  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

"  How  could  I  stay  in  such  a  cheerless  pliico  ?  No  floors, 
no  chairs,  tho  narrow  cot  my  scat,  my  feet  imbedded  .hi 
the  hot  sand,  tho  confusion  of  camp  closo  around  me,  with 
but  tho  thickness  of  cloth  between  mo  and  tho  eyes  of  all, 
tho  scorching  August  sun  streaming  through  the  low-roofed 
covering,  —  it  seemed  almost  too  much  to  endure;  but  I 
resolved  to  mako  tho  trial.  On  tho  evening  of  the  third 
day  after  my  arrival,  while  visiting  tho  ruins  of  tho  rail 
road,  our  attention  was  arrested  by  a  shouting  in  camp, 
-which,  on  our  return,  wo  found  was  caused  by  tho  receipt 
of  '  marching  orders.'  Tho  steamer  Chancellor  was  to 
convey  us  to  Ilerculaneum,  Missouri.  Tcnta  were  struck 
immediately,  but  day  dawned  bcforo  tho  steamer  left  tho 
landing.  My  husband  was  anxious  to  have  mo  accompany 
him,  if  tho  colonel's  permission  could  bo  obtained  ;  but  I 
feared  to  mako  tho  request,  lest  it  should  bo  denied. 
Wrapped  in  my  husband's  military  overcoat,  I  sat  on  my 
trunk  to  await  events  and  witness  tho  embarkation.  Tho 
confusion  and  excitement  of  tho  scene  wero  so  novel,  that 
tho  hours  glided  by  unnoticed.  Tho  grotesque  figures 
standing  out  in  bold  relief  against  tho  high-piled  fires 
of  barrels,  boxes,  and  other  accumulated  property,  —  the 
effigies,  that  seemed  'writhing  in  agony  as  tho  curling 
flames  reached  them,  —  had,  mingled  with  tho  shouts  of  tho 
confused  and  surging  throng,  mado  mo  forgetful  of  tho 
lapso  of  time,  of  my  exposed  condition,  and  even  uncon 
scious  that  a  heavy  fog,  rising  from  tho  river,  had  saturated 
my  thick  wrappings,  when  I  was  aroused  from  my  reveries 
by  the  voico  of  our  colonel,  who  said,  c  Aro  you  hero,  Mrs. 
Reynolds?  You  will  bo  more  comfortable  on  tho  boat/ 


MRS.     BELLE    REYNOLDS .  257 

My  unexpressed  wishes  thus  granted,  I  went  as  soon  as  my 
husband,  who  was  then  on  duty,  returned." 

She  remained  with  tho  regiment,  following  it  in  all  its 
campaigning  in  Southern  Missouri,  and  on  tho  Missis 
sippi  River  during  tho  fall  and  winter  of  18G1  and  1862. 
Sometimes  she  roclo  in  an  army  wagon,  sometimes  in  an 
ambulance,  and  sometimes  ou  a  mule.  At  others  bho 
marched  in  tho  cluat  bcaido  tho  soldiers,  with  a  musketoon 
upon  her  shoulder.  Tho  command  was  in  active,  though 
not  in  dangerous  service  ;  and  this  period  of  her  army  life 
is  crowded  with  many  charming  reminiscences  of  out-door 
life  in  tho  romantic  wilderness  through  which  they  wero 
moving.  Sometimes,  behind  her  tent,  Iron  Mountain  was 
towering  in  it:*  bald  simplicity  ;  sometimes  they  encamped 
in  a  charming  deer  park ;  and  at  others  were  wending  their 
way  along  tho  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  whoro  tho  giants 
of  tho  aboriginal  woods  were  festooned  with  a  beautiful 
tracery  of  wild  vines,  and  tho  notes  of  the  buglo  could  bo 
heard  echoing  through  the  dim  aisles  of  the  forest.  There 
was  one  period  of  quite  painful  suspense  at  tho  time  of  tho 
battle  of  I3elmont.  She  did  not  know  whether  her  husband 
had  survived  that  bloody  engagement.  "I  dared  not  look 
too  closely,"  she  writes,  "  lest  some  shall  bo  missing;  and 
while  tho  regiment  is  closing  up  in  lino  to  receive  the 
thanks  and  praiao  duo  them  from  our  gallant  colonel,  I 
ventured  to  ask  if  all  had  returned.  One  replies,  *  We 
have  lost  our  lieutenant ; '  another,  '  I  helped  to  bury  my 
messmate.'  Brief  words  !  but  somo  mother's  heart  will  be 
wrung  with  agony  aa  sho  reads  of  the  victory,  followed  by 
tho  list  of  killed  and  wounded.** 
17 


258  "WOMEN    OP    THE    WAR. 

The  winter  was  passed  in  military  reviews  and  in  tho 
gayotics  of  camp,  tho  Seventeenth  Illinois  being  stationed 
at  Capo  Gir:irdeau.  In  tho  early  part  of  February,  Gen 
eral  Grant,  then  commanding  tho  active  force  in  that 
region,  commenced  that  brilliant  and  ever-memorable  aeries 
of  movements  which  terminated  in  tho  capture  of  Corinth 
and  Memphis,  and  tho  opening  of  tho  upper  part  of  tho 
Mississippi  Valley.  Mrs.  Reynolds  was  present  amid  all 
theso  rude  scenes,  and  in  some  of  them  took  quite  an  active 
and  prominent  part.  Her  journal  during  this  period  is 
rich  in  incident  and  description,  and  contains  one  of  tho 
truest  accounts  of  tho  first  day's  action  at  Pittsburg  land 
ing  that  bus  been  written. 

"On  reaching  Fort  Henry,"  she  writes,  "  I  found  that  tho 
regiment  had  that  day  left  for  Savannah,  Tennessee.  I 
had  but  to  remain  on  board,  and  we  should  soon  overtake 
them.  Tho  sight  of  that  fleet,  steaming  up  the  Tennessee 
River,  was  one  never  to  bo  forgotten,  — the  gunboats,  with 
their  dark,  frowning  sides,  leading  the  way  for  nearly  two 
hundred  transports,  with  their  freight  of  human  life.  Tho 
little  stream  was  swollen  to  a  mighty  river,  and  tho  banks 
were  clothed  in  tho  fresh  garb  of  spring.  Tho  few  towns 
on  the  river  seemed  deserted  of  all  but  women  and  children, 
and  they  showed  littlo  rejoicing  at  tho  sight  of  Unclo  Sam's 
legions.  On  tho  second  day  out,  Captain  D.  was  ordered 
on  board  the  Dimlcith,  a  stern-wheeler,  as  despatch  boat; 
and  as  Mrs.  D.  would  accompany  him,  I  should  bo  left 
alone.  So  I  concluded  to  go  with  thorn  on  board  tho  Dun- 
leith.  "\Vhilo  steaming  along,  noting  tho  peculiar  appear 
ance  of  tho  dwellings,  and  contrasting  our  situation  with 


MRS.     BELIZE    ttEYNOLI>S.  259 

what  it  was  ono  year  ago,  wo  heard  a  splash,  and  tho  boat 
scorned  turning  round  and  going  down  tho  stream.  Soon 
the  trouble  was  explained  :  tho  wheel  htid  dropped  ofl*,  and 
gone  to  tho  bottom.  After  drifting  about  for  a  short  time, 
another  boat  camo  alongside,  and  commenced  towing  us  up 
tlio  rivor  ;  but  tho  current  was  so  strong  another  boat  waa 
required,  and  wo  wero  three  days  in  reaehing  Savannah. 
A  dreary  town  wo  found  here,  —  a  scene  of  perfect  deso 
lation,  and  but  for  tho  lovely  dross  of  spring,  in  which  all 

iiattiro  waa  clothed,  tho  sight  would  liavo  been  deplorable. 

"  j\fa.rc?L  21,  1802. AVo  embark  to-night  in  steamer 

I>.  A.  January  for  Pittslmrg  Tending.  Ten  miles  above  wo 
disembark,  and  camp  about  three  miles  from  tho  river,  on 
a  most  romantic  spot  —  high  hluiVs  and  deep  ravines,  littlo 
brooks  carelessly  creeping  through  tho  ferns,  then  rushing 
down,  over  a  rocky  precipice,  and  bounding  along  to  join  tho 
river.  Blooming  orchards  meet  the  eye,  and  tiny  flowers 
peep  out  from  their  ^grceii  beds.  Deserted  cabins  are  scat 
tered  hero  and  there,  which  seem  to  have  been  built  for 
ngcs,  and  tenaiitlcsa  for  years.  Shtloh  meeting-houso  and 
that  cool  spring  are  all  that  make  the  place  look  as  if  ever 
having  becii  trodden  by  the  foot  of  man. 

"^Ipril  4. Tho  long  roll  has  called  tho  regiment  out, 

and  wo  know  not  what  an  hour  may  bring  forth.  Pickets 
havo  been  driven  in,  and  skirmishing  is  going  on  at  tho 
front.  Distant  musketry  and  tho  rumbling  of  artillery  past 
my  tent  givo  tho  situation  a  look  of  reality  which  I  had  not 
dreamed  of  an  hour  ago.  Although  so  near  tho  enemy's 
linos,  wo  fcol  no  four.  Mrs.  N.  and  my  so  If  aro  tho  only 
ladies  in  camp,  and  our  tents  aro  adjoining. 


2  GO  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 


17.  —  It  scorns  years  since  I  wrote  tho  lust  lines 
iii  my  cliury,  such  have  been  tho  suspense  and  torture  of 
mi  ml,  ami  tho  variety  and  horror  of  tho  scenes  through 
which  I  have  passed.  On  Sunday  morning,  two  days  after 
tho  last  date  of  writing,  at  sunrise  wo  heard  tho  roll  of 
distant  musketry  ;  but  supposing  it  to  bo  the  pickets  dis 
charging  their  pieces,  wo  paid  110  attention  to  it.  Ill  about 
an  hour  after,  while  preparing  breakfast  over  tho  camp  fire, 
which  Mrs.  N.  and  I  used  in  common,  wo  were  startled 
by  cannon  balls  howling  over  our  heads.  Immediately  tho 
long  roll  was  beaten,  and  orders  came  from  tho  command 
ing  officer  of  the  brigade  to  fall  in.  Ivnowing  my  husband 
must  go,  I  kept  my  place  before  tho  fire,  that  ho  might 
have  his  breakfast  before  leaving  ;  but  there  was  no  time  for 
eating,  and  though  shells  were  flying  faster,  and  musketry 
coming  nearer,  compelling  mo  involuntarily  to  dodge  as  tho 
missiles  shrieked  through  tho  air,  I  still  fried  my  cakes, 
and  rolling  them  in  a  napkin,  placed  them  in  his  haversack, 
and  gave  it  to  him  just  as  ho  was  mounting  his  horse  to 
assist  in  forming  the  regiment.  His  last  words  to  me,  as 
ho  rode  away,  were,  'What  will  you  do,  liello?'  I  littlo 
knew  then  what  I  should  do  ;  but  thero  was  no  time  to 
hesitate,  for  shells  were  bursting  in  every  direction  about 
us.  Tents  were  torn  in  shreds,  and  tho  enemy,  in  solid 
column,  was  seen  coming  over  tho  hill  in  tho  distance. 
Mrs.  N.  and  I,  thinking  wo  might  have  timo  to  pack  our 
trunks,  were  doing  so,  when,  tho  wagon-master  told  us  wo 
must  run  for  our  lives  ;  so,  snatching  our  travelling-  bas 
kets,  bonnets  in  hand,  wo  left  tho  now  deserted  camp.  Wo 
passed  the  largo  parade  ground,  closo  by  our  camp,  whero 


MIU3.     BELLE    REYNOLDS.  261 

the  cavalry  was  forming.  Balls  wcro  flying  anil  shell* 
bursting1  among  the  terrified  horses  and  fearless  riders. 
Oil  reaching  General  Rosa*  headquarters,  supposing  our 
selves  at  a  perfectly  safe  distance  from  the  rebels,  wo  took 
possession,  of  a  deserted  tent,  and  sat  resting  ourselves, 
•when  Lieutenant  Williams,  acting  quartermaster,  passing 
by,  saw  us  sitting  there,  apparently  regardless  of  tho  flying 
missiles.  'For  God's  sake,'  exclaimed  ho,  'run  for  tho 
river ;  tho  rebels  arc  coining !  '  Wo  were  by  this  time 
convinced  of  their  close  proximity  ;  for  wo  had  scarcely  left 
when,  a  shell  exploded  close  by,  tho  pieced  tearing  through 
the  tent,  and  a  solid  shot  passed  through  headquarters.  Tho 
troops  were  now  moving  up  from  tho  river,  pouring  along 
by  thousands,  fresh  and  hopeful,  and  sanguine  as  to  tho 
result  of  tho  conflict  in  which  they  were  hastening  to  en 
gage.  Others  were  going  towards  the  river,  many  sick,  and 
scarcely  able  to  drag  themselves  along  through  tho  almost 
impassable  roads  ;  and  wo,  while  hurrying  along,  were  con 
stantly  asked,  'What's  tho  matter  back  hero,  ladies?'  But 
soon  enough  they  ascertained,  for  the  enemy  were  pressing 
closer  and  closer,  and  tho  musketry  coming  nearer  and  nearer 
each  moment.  "When,  within  about  half  a  uiilo  from  tho 
river,  wo  came  upon  a  number  of  ambulances,  from,  which 
tho  wounded  wero  being  taken  and  laid  upon  tho  ground 
for  tho  surgeons'  attention.  ^Vo  stopped,  took  off  our 
bonnets,  and  prepared  to  assist  in  dressing  their  wounds  ; 
but  in  less  than  ton  minutes  an  orderly  came  dashing  up, 
with  orders  to  move  the  wounded  immediately  to  tho  river, 
as  tho  rebels  wero  pressing  so  closely,  they  wero  not  safe 
where  they  wero.  Tho  surgeon  said  we  had  better  go  to 


262  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

some  of  the  boats,  as  we  should  find  plenty  to  do.  So  We 
made  our  way  to  the  steamer  Emerald,  Captain  Norton's 
headquarters  ;  aud,  just  as  wo  were  going  aboard,  General 
Grant  and  stall*  catno  up  from  Savannah.  Anxious  faces 
they  all  wore,  though  they  little  knew  what  luy  before 
them.  We  were  rejoiced  to  find  that  Mrs.  C.,  one  of  our 
nurses,  had  arrived  from  Illinois,  with  qutto  a  largo  supply 
of  hospital  stores,  for  they  came  not  an  hour  too  soon.  A. 
few  moments  after  our  arrival  (about  ton  o'clock  A.  ^1.), 
Sergeant  AutcliiT,  company  A,  was  brought  on  board,  sup 
ported  by  two  comrades.  13oth  arms  were  broken.  His 
greeting  to  Captain  Norton  was,  '  "Well,  captain,  they  have 
winged  me.'  To  see  that  strong  man,  now  utterly  helpless, 
and  almost  fainting  from  loss  of  blood,  and  exhausted  from 
a  walk  of  nearly  t\vo  miles,  was  a  piteous  sight  indeed. 

"  Soon  the  wounded  came  pouring  in  upon  us,  and  for 
thirty-six  hours  wo  found  no  rest.  At  night  wo  had  three 
hundred  aud  fifty  wounded  on  board  our  boat.  I  dared  not 
ask  the  boys  if  my  husband  was  unharmed,  and  feared 
each  moment  to  see  him  among  the  almost  lifeless  forma 
that  were  being  brought  on  board  tho  boat. 

"Through  tho  day  the  thunder  of  artillery  had  almost 
deafened  us  ;  tho  air  seemed  filled  with  leadeu  hail,  and  tho 
spent  balls  would  patter  upon  tho  deck  like  a  summer 
shower.  Solid  shot,  directed  at  tho  ammunition  boat, 
which  was  closo  by  us,  would  pass  over  our  heads  and 
drop  into  tho  water.  As  tho  sun  went  down  our  army 
was  gradually  nearing  the  river :  resistance  to  tho  infu 
riated  masses  opposed  to  them  had  been  impossible.  Tho 
rebels  now  occupied  all  tho  camps  of  tho  Federal  army,  and 


MRS.     BELLE    REYNOLDS.  263 

the  alternative  to  perish  beneath  the  waves  of  the  Ten 
nessee,  or  surrender  to  the  exultant  foe,  wus  before  them. 
Never  had.  the  fate  of  an  army  been  more  desperate,  or  its 
ruin  more  inevitable.  Panic  seized  the  half-crazed  men, 
and  rushing  down  tho  stcop  declivity,  they  cauio  pouring 
along  by  hundreds,  each  intent  on  securing  his  own  safety, 
regardless  of  others.  ISIaiiy  attempted  to  crowd  upon  tho 
hospital  boats  ;  others  swam  to  the  opposite  shore.  Captain 
N.  guarded  tho  gang-plunk  with  :i  revolver  in  each  hand, 
and  giving  me  another,  I  stationed  myself  upon  tho  hurri 
cane  deck,  prepared  to  execute  any  orders  ho  might  give 
mo.  Rut  deliverance  emno  to  the  disheartened  army ;  tho 
gunboats  Lexington  and  Tyler  arrived  from  below,  and 
steaming  up  to  the  month  of  a  little  stream,  called  Licking 
Greek,  they  opened  a  deadly  nro  upon  tho  rebel  army. 
Broadside  after  broadsido  of  sixty-four  pounders  was  dis 
charged  into  tho  midst  of  the  now  terrified  foe.  Fresh 
courage  seemed  infused  into  our  dispirited  ranks,  for  now 
across  tho  river  wo  could  see  tho  long-expected  troops  hur 
rying  forward  at  double-quick  to  our  rescue.  How  we 
cheered  them  I  All  tho  transports  were  put  in  requisition 
to  ferry  them  across,  that  they  might  add  to  tho  waning 
strength  of  tho  almost  defeated  army.  Every  effort  waa 
made  to  inspire  tho  panic-stricken  hundreds  with  fresh 
courage,  but  without  effect.  At  tho  Landing  it  was  a  sceno 
of  terror.  Rations,  forage,  and  ammunition  were  tram 
pled  into  the  mud  by  an  excited  and  infuriated  crowd. 
Officers  were  rushing  around,  vainly  endeavoring  to  collect 
tho  stragglers  from  their  commands,  and  load  them  once 
more  to  tho  eceno  of  conflict.  Train  a  wore  huddled 


264  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAB. 

together  on  the  brow  of  the  hill  and  in  sheltered  places. 
Ambulances  were  conveying  their  bleeding  loads  to  the 
different  boats,  and  joined  to  form  a  Babel  of  confusion 
indescribable.  None  were  calm,  and  free  from  distracting 
anxiety  uiid  pain,  save  the  long  ranks  of  dead,  ranged  for 
recognition  or  burial,  at  the  hospital  on  the  hill-side.  Night 
closed  the  scene.  The  two  armies  rested  for  the  morrow's 
conflict ;  ours  sad  and  disheartened,  theirs  hopeful  and 
almost  victorious.  The  gunboats  were  doing  a  great  work ; 
one  after  the  other  would  send  a  broadside  ;  and  we,  watch 
ing  from  the  deck,  would  listen  until  the  explosion,  and 
then  shout  for  joy.  They  were  tokens  of  remembrance  sent 
to  our  beleaguered  friends.  Soon  tho  rain  camo  pouring 
down.  What  a  blessing  to  the  wounded  on  tho  battle-field  I 
Hour  after  hour  passed,  and  tho  storm  increased  ;  but  abovo 
all  was  tho  solemn  thunder  of  tho  gunboat  cannon.  Towards 
morning  wo  dropped  down  to  Savannah,  and  unloaded  tho 
wounded  ;  and  morning  found  us  again  at  work,  dressing 
tho  wounds  of  others,  who  had  but  just  boon  brought  from 
tho  field. 

"In  all  this  timo  I  heard  nothing  of  my  husband.  I 
dared  not  ask  thoso  who  had  come  from  tho  field.  J  would 
•wait  until  I  should  hoar  that  all  was  well  with  him,  or  soo 
him  face  to  face.  The  mud  and  rain  made  it  impossible  to 
extend  our  labors  beyond  the  boat ;  and  reports  were  con 
tinually  coming  to  us  that  tho  rebels  were  retreating,  and 
that  our  army,  strengthened  and  encouraged  by  tho  arrival 
of  Buell's  command,  would  probably  push  them  to  Corinth. 
They  had  passed  beyond  our  damps,  and  the  way  was 
strewn  with  dead  and  dying.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Smith 


MRS.     BKLLE    REYNOLDS.  265 

came  from  the  regiment  about  dark,  with  a  message  to  mo 
from  ray  husband.  Ho  had  passed  through  that  terrible 
battle  unharmed,  though  his  horso  had  been  shot  under 
him.  How  thankful  I  was  none  can  know  but  those  who 
have  endured  liko  suapoiiao  and  anxiety.  Thoro  had  boon 
no  preparation  made  for  a  two  days'  battle  when  the  army 
left  their  comfortable  quarters  on  Sunday  morning,  and  no 
rations  had  boon  provided.  I  know  there  was  a  largo  sup 
ply  of  bread  on  hand,  and  making  arrangements  with  the 
cook  for  a  dozen  loaves,  I  supplied  tho  colonel  with  some 
impromptu  saddle-bags,  and  filling  them  to  tho  brim, "and 
tying  each  end,  ho  throw  them  across  his  horse,  and  started 
off.  Fortunately  for  him,  darkness  enveloped  him,  or  ho 
might  not  have  arrived  with  his  precious  freight.  That 
night  wo  rested,  though  tho  storm  waa  etill  ruging. 
"Wednesday  morning  tho  sun  came  forth  upon  a  scone  of 
blood  and  carnage  such  as  our  fair  land  had  never  known. 
The  roads  were  almost  impassable  ;  yet  we  felt  it  our  duty 
to  go  out,  and  do  nil  wo  could  for  those  who  wore  in  tho 
hospital.  At  iiino  o'clock  wo  left  tho  boat  —  Mrs.  C.,  Mrs. 
N.f  and  myself.  AVo  climbed  tho  steep  hill  opposite  tho 
Landing,  picked  our  way  through  tho  corrals  of  horses, 
past  tho  long  lines  of  trenches  which  were  to  receive  tho 
dead,  and  cauio  to  an  old  cabin,  where  the  wounded  wore 
being  brought.  Outside  lay  the  bodies  of  more  than  a  hun 
dred,  brought  in  for  recognition  and  burial a  sight  so 

ghastly  that  it  haunts  mo  now.  We  passed  on,  and  entered 
tho  houao,  which  contained  throe  rooms.  In  eno  wore  some 
fifty  wounded ;  in  another  (smaller)  tho  surgeons  wore 
amputating.  Tho  ladies  left  mo  there,  and  went  to  the 


266 


"WOMEN"    OF    THE    WAR. 


touts,  which  were  also  filled.  Tho  sight  of  a  woman 
seemed  to  cheer  the  poor  fellows,  for  many  a  '  God  bless 
you  I  '  greeted  me  before  I  had  done  them  a  single  act  of 
kindness.  The  first  call  was  for  water  ;  and  none  could  bo 
obtained  nearer  than  tho  river.  I  stopped  to  the  door,  and 
called  for  volunteers  to  go  with  mo  to  tho  river  for  water. 
Fifteen  offered  their  services.  Captain  Norton  furnished 
each  with  a  pail,  which  they  filled,  and  supplied  the  wants 
of  tho  poor  sufferers.  .After  bathing  and  bandaging  their 
burning  wounds,  I  gave  each  some  jelly,  and  distributed 
among  them  tho  little  bread  we  had  brought  with  us  ;  but 
tho  supply  was  small  for  hungry  men,  and  I  found  a  sut 
ler's  stand,  and  emptied  the  contents  of  my  purse  for 
gingerbread — singular  food  for  sick  men,  but  very  accept 
able.  An  Irishman,  though  badly  wounded,  did  much  to 
keep  up  the  spirits  of  tho  disheartened,  as  ho  was  still  in 
possession  of  his  uativo  wit,  and  anxious  to  make  the  best 
of  everything.  I  was  well  repaid  for  my  exertions  in 
seeing  them  all  more  comfortable.  How  thankful  a  soldier 
is  for  a  little  attention  !  One  old  man,  whoso  last  days 
should  have  been  passed  in  a  quiet  home,  lay  dying;  a% 
every  breath  his  life-blood  gushed  from  the  wound  in.  his 
breast.  At  his  side  lay  a  rebel  soldier,  both  of  whoso 
limbs  had  boon  taken  off  below  tho  kneo  by  A  camion  ball  ; 
his  hours  were  few.  Hero  lay  another  ;  a  musket  ball  had 
pierced  his  cheek  near  the  eye,  and  reached  tho  lower  part 
of  tho  brain.  Tho  surgeon  had  probed  in  vain  to  find  tho 
deadly  missile  ;  his  face  and  the  front  parts  of  his  clothing 
•were  covered  with  blood,  and  his  breathing  was  of  that  hor 
rible  sort  which  once  heard  is  never  forgotten.  He,  too, 


MRS.     LJKLLE    REYNOLDS.  267 

was  past  all  euro.  Another  had  a  ball  lodged  deep  in  the 
upper  part  of  his  thigh.  The  surgeons  hod  been  unablo  to 
afford  him  any  relief.  Ho  was  very  culm,  aud  said  he 
did  not  suffer  much  ;  but  something  about  his  face, 
when  I  looked  at  it,  showed  that  he  would  soon  be 
'  mustered  out.' 

"  And  that  operating  table  I  These  scones  come  up  before 
mo  now  with  all  tlio  vividness  of  reality.  Sometimes  I 
hope  it  is  only  a  fever-dream  that  haunts  mo,  but  too  well 
I  know  it  was  no  dream  ;  for,  one  by  one,  they  would  take 
from  different  parts  of  the  hospital  a  poor  fellow,  lay  him 
out  on  those  bloody  boards,  and  administer  chloroform ; 
but  boforo  insensibility,  tho  operation  would  begin,  itnd  in 
the  midst  of  shrieks,  curses,  and  wild  laughs,  tho  surgeon 
would  wield  ove^his  wretched  victim  tho  glittering  knife 
and  saw  ;  and  soon  tho  severed  nnd  ghastly  limb,  white  as 
snow  and  spattered  with  blood,  would  fall  upon  the  floor- 
one  more  added  to  the  terrible  pile. 

"  Until  three  o'clock  I  had  no  idle  moments ;  then, 
having  dono  all  in.  my  power  to  minister  to  so  much 
wretchedness,  I  found  my  long-taxed  nerves  could  endure 
no  more.  One  of  tho  surgeons  brought  mo  a  spoonful  of 
brandy,  which  revived  mo.  Peeling  that  my  labors  wero 
at  an  cud,  I  prepared  to  leave,  and  had  just  turned  to  go  in 
tho  direction  of  tho  boat,  when  a  hand  was  laid  upon  my 
shoulder.  Tho  shock  was  so  sudden  I  nearly  fainted. 
There  stood  my  husband  !  I  hardly  know  him  —  blackened 
with  powder,  begrimed  with  dust,  his  clothes  in  disorder, 
and  his  faco  palo.  "Wo  thought  it  must  have  been  'years 
since  wo  parted.  It  was  uo  time  for  many  words  ;  ho  told 


268  WOMEN    OF    TUB    WAK. 

me  I  must  go.  There  was  a  silent  pressure  of  hands.  J 
passed  on  to  the  boat.  I  found  Mrs.  N.  and  C.  hard  at 
work,  and  apparently  as  fresh  as  when  the  day  commenced!* 
At  night  I  lived  over  the  horrors  of  tho  field  hospital  and 
the  amputating  table.  If  I  but  closed  my  eyes,  I  sitw  such 
horrible  sights  that  I  would  spring  from  my  bed  ;  and  not 
until  fairly  awakened  could  I  bo  convinced  of  my  remote 
ness  from  tho  sickening  scene.  -Those  groans  were  in  my 
cars  ;  I  saw  again  tho  quivering  limbs,  tho  spouting  arte 
ries,  and  tho  pinched  and  ghastly  faces  of  the  sufferers. 

a  Tho  following  day  wo  visited  tho  boats  near  us.  On 
one  the  surgeon  objected  to  our  coming  on  board,  us  ho 
*  wanted  no  women  around.'  But  nothing  daunted,  we  went 
in  search  of  any  who  might  belong  to  our  regiment.  Wo 
found  somo  of  tho  boys  with  their  wojjinda  undressed, 
many  of  them  having  been  wounded  on  Sunday ;  and, 
though  there  were  three  or  four  hundred  wounded  men  on 
tho  boat,  there  were  but  two  or  three  surgcous,  and  they 
unwilling  to  have  us  relieve  what  suffering  we  could.  No 
hospital  stores  were  allowed  us  ;  so,  drawing  from  tho  small 
supply  on  tho  Emerald,  and  from  tho  boat  of  the  United 
States  Sanitary  Commission,  in  charge  of  Dr.  "Wurriuer, 
we  removed  tho  heavy  flannels,  stiff  with  blood,  bathed 
their  burning  wounds  and  powder-stained  faces,  gave  them 
food,  and  they  sank  to  sleep  like  weary  children.  Airs. 
N.,  while  passing  through  the  cabin,  noticed  a  cot  on  which 
lay  a  man,  hid  face  covered  with  tho  coarso  woollen  blanket. 
Supposing  it  to  bo  ono  who  had  died,  she  went  up  to  it, 
raised  the  blanket,  and,  to  her  horror,  discovered  a  man  in 
the  last  stages  of  small  pox  !  She  immediately  found  the 


MHS.    BELLE    REYNOLDS.  .    269 

surgeon  in  command,- and  asked  him  if  ho  know  of  such  a 
caso  being  on  board  ;  when  ho  insultingly  informed  her 
that  ho  would  attend  to  his  business,  and  she  might  leave 
if  she  wcro  not  pleased.  The  surgeon's  iiarno  I  huvo  for 
gotten,  but  his  disregard  and  inhumanity  to  tho  wounded 
under  his  care  was  reported  at  headquarters  ;  and,  though 
his  name  may  not  have  been  branded  before  the  "world,  it 
lives  in  tho  memories  of  those  who  sulTered  through  his 
neglect. 

w  On  Saturday  night,  wo  wore  happily  surprised  at  seeing 
Drs.  Guth  and  Col  burn,  of  Peoria,  they  being  members 
of  the  delegation,  from  Illinois.  Sorely  needing  rest  and 
change  of  scene,  my  husband  obtained  permission  for  my 
return  to  Peoria  when  the  131ack  Hawk  should  bo  loaded. 
There  were  about  twenty  of  our  regiment  who  would  go. 
Sunday  night  found  all  in  readiness,  and  my  husband  left 
me  in  comfortable  quarters  on  board  tho  lilack  Hawk,  ho 
to  resume  his  duties  in  camp,  and  I  to  go  to  nay  friends. 
Each  parting  seemed  harder  than  tho  last,  for  I  know  now 
tho  dangers  and  uncertainties  to  which  ho  was  exposed. 
Cut  my  health  had  boon  failing  since  my  first  mouth  in 
camp,  and  I  felt  I  must  recruit  now,  or  I  might  not  bo  ablo 
to  spend  tho  summer  with  him.  There  wero  but  two  ladies 
on  board,  their  husbands  being  of  the  party.  Tho  conver 
sation  naturally  turning  upon  tho  battle,  many  questions 
woro  nsked  ;  and  as  J  had  bceii  an  eye-witness,  all  eyes 
were  directed  to  mo.  Tho  terrible  scenes  wcro  still  before 
and  seemed  to  be  a  dreadful  part  of  me,  which  I  was  glad 
to  have  removed,  if  relating  them  might  have  that  effect.  I 
told  my  story  to  quite  an  audience  of  ladies  and  gentlemen, 


270  |  WOiTEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

Governor  Yatcs  being  of  tho  number.-  As  I  was  one  of  tlio 
very  few  ladies  who  wcro  present  at  tho  buttle,  and  had 
witnessed  so  largo  a  portion  of  its  scenes,  the  story  seemed 
to  interest  ull  who  heard,  and  some  ono  suggested,  c  Sho 
deserves  a  commission  more  than  half  tho  officers.'  'Let's 
make  one,'  said  another.  No  sooner  said,  than  a  blank 
commission  was  brought,  and  tho  governor  directed  his 
secretary  to  fill  it  out,  giving  mo  the  rank  of  a  major.  This 
was  done  :  tho  name  of  the  governor,  of  Adjutant  Fuller, 
and  tho  secretary  of  state  were  added,  tho  seal  of  the  State 
of  Illinois  was  appended,  and  tho  parchment  handed  me, 
with  many  congratulations.  I  received  it,  not  so  much 
as  an  honor  which  I  really  deserved,  but  simply  as  an 
acknowledgment  of  merit  for  having  done  what  I  could. 
I  regained  my  health  slowly,  making  my  round  three  times 
a  day,  to  see  if  all  our  boys  were  cared  for.  On  board  I 
found  an  old  friend,  not  seen  for  years,  who  has  since  died 
from  tho  effects  of  his  wound  ;  another  captain,  whom  wo 
had  met  on  tho  morning  of  tho  battle,  was  suffering  from  a 
severe  wound. 

"At  Cairo  wo  took  Captain  Swain,  of  Tiskilwa,  Illinois. 
Arriving  at  St.  Louis,  tho  most  severely  'wounded  wcro 
taken  to  Quiiicy,  Illinois  ;  and  some  twenty,  who  were  to 
go  up  tho  Illinois  River,  wcro  transferred  to  a  stern-wheel 
boat,  Captain  Swain,  among  tho  number.  Tho  journey, 
under  tho  most  favorable  circumstances,  is  a  tedious  one  ; 
but  to  tho  wounded  sufferers  it  seemed  more  than  they 
could  endure.  Time  passed  slowly  indeed,  and  to  Captain 
Swain,  who  was  suffering1  intense  agony,  the  motion  of  the 
boat  was  exquisite  torture.  Ono  by  one  tho  boys  wero 


MKS.     BELLE    UETTNOLDS.  271 

carried  from  tho  boat  aa  wo  reached  tho  little  towns  along 
the  river,  and  I  gttvo  each,  his  deaci-iptivo  list,  and  bade 
them  good- by,  sonio  of  them  forever.  Cuptuiu  Swuiu  was 
failing  rapidly,  and  tbo  surgeons  thought  it  impossible  for 
him  to  roach  Peoria  alive.  IIi3  faithful  attendant  was  always 
by  him,  but  his  oft-repeated  words  wore,  '  IMy  poor  wifo 
and  little  ones  1  '  They  held  him  to  eurth  by  strong  hands, 
and  he  only  prayed  that  ho  might  live  to  see  them  oiico 
more,  and  then  ho  was  ready  to  die  ;  'for  it  was  a  glorious 
cause  to  give  a  life  to.'  Hut  his  prayer  was  not  answered. 
Conscious  that  his  last  hour  was  at  hand,  ho  gave  a  word 
of  encouragement  to  each  soldier  who  stood  by  him, 
beseeching  them  to  give  their  life,  if  need  be,  for  their 
country's  freedom  ;  then  thanking  those  who  had  minis 
tered  to  his  comfort,  and  imploring  God's  blessing  upon 
them  in  their  arduous  duties,  ho  closed  his  eyes,  and  died 
without  a  struggle,  just  as  wo  landed  at  Pcoria. 

"Tho  next  week,  having  an  opportunity  to  return  to 
Pittsburg  Landing,  though  my  health  was  not  much  re 
stored,  £  concluded  to  accompany  them.  At  the  appointed 
time-  wo  left  Springfield,  and,  when  wo  arrived  at  St.  Louis 
a  boat  was  chartered  for  us,  and  tho  nurses, — fifteen  in 
number,  —  with  tho  delegation  of  surgeons,  embarked  for 
tho  Tennessee  Kivcr,  which  wo  reached  in  safety,  and  I  ouco 
more  rejoined  my  husband." 

Tho  months  passed  in  tho  usual  variet3r  of  soldier  life. 
Now  tho  regiment  was  in  Jackson,  Tennessee,  and  then  re 
moved  to  Bolivar,  where  they  were  encamped  four  months. 

"In  September  orders  wero  received  for  tho  regiment  to 
move  immediately  to  Corinth.  \Vo  wero  to  go  by  railroad, 


272  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAK. 

thus  escaping  tho  todiousncss  of  a  march.  General  Grant 
and  staff  occupied  tho  car  I  was  in,  aud  tlicii  I  observed  tho 
trait,  so  much  commented  upon,  which  distinguishes  hhn 
from  most  other  men.  Ho  must  have  bcoii  planning  his  fall 
campaign,  for  from  tho  tune  we  left  Jackson  until  we  arrived 
at  Corinth,  a  lighted  cigar  was  in  his  mouth,  ono  serving  as 
a  match  for  its  successor ;  yet  if  his  reverie  was  broken 
by  a  question,  ho  answered  it  pointedly,  as  though  his 
thoughts  wcro  all  centred  on  that  question.  \\ro  arrived 
at  Corinth  just  before  nightfall.  The  regiment  was  to 
camp  about  three  miles  from  town.  Tho  road  thither  lay 
through  swamps,  and  was  mostly  corduroy,  very  badly 
broken  by  tho  passage  of  heavy  army  wagons  ;  but  at  last, 
rising  from  tho  swamp  to  a  high  bluil",  we  cauio  upon  tho 
regiment  preparing  for  the  night.  No  tents  had  arrived, 
the  clouds  wcro  threatening  rain,  and  a  cold  wind  was  blow 
ing  over  tho  bleak  hill-side.  I  had  but  my  travelling  cloak 
for  covering.  No  trees  were  near  to  afford  us  shelter,  and 
wo  saw  we  should  have  to  pass  a  dreary  and  comfortless 
night.  !My  husband  spread  his  poncho  011  tho  ground,  and 
I  lay  down,  not  to  pleasant  dreams  or  sweet  sleep,  but  to 
bo  pelted  by  cold  rain  until  drenched  through  and  through, 
and  then  to  lie  and  long  for  morning  to  como.  liut  never 
were  hours  so  lengthened  ;  and  just  at  daylight,  though  tho 
storm  was  at  its  height,  orders  came  for  tho  regiment  to 
move  to  luka.  Colonel  N.'s  tent  had  just  come,  and  ho 
insisted  on  niy  occupying  it,  as  ho  was  so  soon  to  leave. 
With  tho  greatest  difficulty  I  made  my  way  to  the  tent,  and 
throwing  myself  on  tho  cot,  was  soon  insensible  to  all  that 
waa  passing.  When  I  u  \voko,  all  had  loft  but  my  husband, 


MRS.     HKLLE     IIEYNOLUS.  273 

who  remained  for  a  short  time,  to  make  provision  for  my 
removal  to  Corinth.  At  five  o'clock  ho  left  mo  in  as  dreary 
a  place  as  I  ever  found  myself  in  ;  but  I  must  not  com 
plain.  It  was  my  determination  to  bharo  with  him  the 
dangers  and  privations  of  soldier  life  that  had  brought  mo 
to  such  a  pass,  and  I  must  endure  it  or  leave  him.  The 
pitiless  rain  was  pouring  in  torrents  from  a  leaden  sky,  and 
a  cold  wind  driving  under  the  tent,  with  little  streams  trick 
ling  through  the  thin  covering,  ntaclo  my  quarters  anything 
but  comfortable,  though,  in  contrast  with  tho  night  I  had 
passed,  they  were  luxurious.  Many  of  tho  boys,  on  leav 
ing,  had  put  their  knapsacks  in  my  care,  and  taking  from 
one  A  blanket,  1  wrapped  myself  in  it,  and  sat  down  to  med 
itate  on  my  forlorn  condition.  The  fates  seemed  all  against 
mo,  for  tho  wind  increased,  and  I  saw,  to  my  dismay,  that 
tho  tent  was  loosened  oil  one  side,  and  that  before  many 
minutes  it  must  go  over.  80011  a  gust  came,  Hupping  the 
loosened  side,  and  tearing  up  the  few  remaining  pegs,  lift 
ing  the  tent  from  the  poles,  and  laying  it  upon  tho  ground, 
leaving  me  sitting  in  tho  open  air,  pelted  by  tho  merciless 
rain.  I  took  refuge  in  an  adjoining  tent,  whoso  inmates 
were  gone,  and  soon  succeeded  in  sending  somo  of  tho 
boys  to  tho  rescue  of  tho  capsized  tent  and  ita  contents. 
They  righted  it,  and  brought  me  a  pair  of  military  boots, 
which  had  been  left  in  my  charge  ;  and  though  it  was  too 
late  to  save  my  feet  from  becoming  wot,  I  donned  them, 
and  made  my  way  back  to  my  quarters,  —  a  dreary  place, — 
and  sitting  down  in  my  wet  clothes,  to  wait,  as  resignedly 
as  possible,  tho  arrival  of  tho  ambulaiico  which  was  to  coil- 
duct  mo  to  inoro  dosirublo  accommodations,  I  waa  startled 
18 


274  WOMEN"    OF    THE    WAR. 

by  a  knock  at  my  tout  door  ;  and  who  should  stand  before 
mo  but  my  brother,  whom  I  had  not  seen  for  two  years  ? 
Ilia  lieutenant  was  with  him.  Being  at  Corinth,  they  had 
heard  that  our  regiment  was  camped  here,  and  notwith 
standing  tho  storm,  had  found  their  way  to  sco  me.  My 
appearance  was  so  ludicrous,  that  both  laughed  outright  ; 
boots  and  blanket  being  tho  chief  features  in  my  apparel. 
I  was  unable  to  move,  and  hardly  able  to  sit  up.  There 
was  nothing  to  ofler  them,  as  I  had  eaten  nothing  since  my 
dinner  tho  day  previous.  They  saw  the  ncresaity  of  pro 
curing  better  quartern,  and  returned  at  once  to  Corinth,  to 
obtain  a  horse  and  saddle.  At  five  o'clock  I  mounted  my 
steed  for  Corinth,  and  thought  my  best  Iriciul  would  fail  to 
recognize  uio  in  tho  ludicrous*  and  foiloru  appearance  I 
presented  ;  but  while  crossing  a  swamp,  where  every  mo 
ment  I  expected  to  be  thrown  from  my  saddle,  as  my  horso 
was  plunging  and  leaping  from  ono  bog  to  another,  I  saw 
approaching  a  general  and  his  staff",  whom  I  had  met  many 
times.  They  immediately  recognised  me,  and  after  a  few 
moments'  pleasant  conversation  wo  passed  on." 

A  short  time  after,  Lieutenant  Rc3'iiolde»  received  orders 
to  report  to  Major-General  McClernuntl  as  aid-dc-camp  ou 
his  btatF,  and  Mrs.  Reynolds,  after  some  unavoidable  delay, 
joined  him  in  March,  18(J3.  Tho  house  occupied  by  Gen 
eral  McCleniaiid  as  his  headquarters  at  ISIillikeu's  Bend, 
near  Vicksburg,  had  beeu  deserted  by  its  owner.  "  Our 
tout,"  sho  eaya,  "was  pitched  under  tho  trees  on  tho  lawn  — 
a  charming  spot,  with  its  long  sweep  of  green,  dotted  with 
bowers  of  roses  of  every  variety.  There  were  climbing 
vines,  with  their  gorgeous  bloom,  and  stately  magnolias, 


MRS.     nELLE    REYNOLDS.  275 


whoso  heavy  perfume  filled  the  morning  air,  and  suggested 
all  tropical  luxuriance.  Cut  our  stay  in  this  charming 
spot  was  of  brief  duration,  General  McClornand  receiving 
orders,  on  the  20th  of  March,  to  move  with  his  corps  to 
Hard  Times  Landing,  below  Vicksburg,  Mrs.  McClernaiid 
mid  I  remaining  behind,  with  the  promise  of  joining  them 
when  headquarters  should  be  established. 

"In  the  mean  time  the  gunboats  and  transports  wero 
preparing  to  run  the  blockade  at  Vicksburg,  and  -wo 
received  invitations  to  witness,  from  the  steamer  Von 
Phul,  this  fiery  trial.  At  first  eight  gunboats  and  three 
transports  wero  to  bo  sent,  with  largo  river  steamers, 
their  boilers  well  protected  with  cotton  bales.  The  trans 
ports  were  laden  with  commissary  stores,  and  the  barges 
and  flat-boats  with  forage  and  coal  for  the  army  below. 
The  night  was  clear  and  cnlm.  At  eleven  P.  M.  they  left 
their  moorings  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yuzoo.  All  was  intense 
excitement.  The  Von  Phul  was  crowded  with  spectators, 
Mrs.  Grant,  Mrs.  McClernaiid,  and  my.  self  being  the  only 
ladies.  Our  boat  was  darkened,  and  with  head  up  stream, 
we  quietly  iloatcd  down  with  the  current,  until  I  feared 
that  we,  too,  wero  to  join  in  the  daring  adventure.  The 
smoke,  in  dense,  black  volumes,  mounted  high,  clearly 
defining  their  course,  though  their  dark  sides  wero  with 
difficulty  distinguished  from  the  foliage  lining  the  banks. 
At  last  one  approached  the  batteries,  closely  hugging  the 
Louisiana  shore  ;  another,  and  yet  another,  and  still  no  sound 
or  lightning  flash.  All  had  passed  the  upper  batteries,  and 
come  in  vnngo  of  the  cit3»'s  guns.  Could  it  be  possible  they 
•would  pass  by  unnoticed?  There  was  breathless  silence, 


276  WOMEN  OP  TIIE   WAR. 

then  a  flush,  another,  and  soon,  the  heavy  booming  of  tho 
cannon  reached  us.  Other  batteries  opened  on  them  as  they 
camo  in  range.  As  time  passed,  the  batteries  lower  down 
came  into  action,  indicating  to  us  that  sonic,  if  not  all,  tho 
boats  had  escaped  destruction,  and  were  passing  on  towards 
"Warreiiton.  While  anxiously  noting  their  progress,  as 

chronicled   by  the   reports  of  the  enemy's   cannon,  we  were 
horrified   by  observing   that  tho    rebels   had    lighted   an   im 
mense   bcacou-firo  oil  one  of  tho   highest   Mulls  of  the  city, 
which  threw  a  clear  and   brilliant  light  over  tho  river,  and 
brought  into  bold  relief  every  object  passing  on  its  surface. 
Guided  by  tho  light,  the  gunners  at  the  rebel  batteries  now 
redoubled  their  fire,  and  along   the  whole   line  thero   blazed 
a  constant  sheet  of  llanio.      Tho   light  had  also   revealed  to 
tho   gunboats   tho  exact  position  of  the  rebel   batteries,  and 
soon  tho   fierce   screech  of  the  Parrott  shells  from  our  gun 
boats    mingled   with    the    din,   and    moro    than    0110    carried 
destruction  into  the  batteries  on  shore.      The  upper  batteries 
finally  slackened  their  tiro,  and  it  was  evident  that  nearly  all, 
if  not  the  entire  fleet,  had  passed  the  most  dangerous  part 
of  their  journey  ;   when  suddenly  a  new  light  creeps  up  tho 
sky,  and    soon   wo    saw   that    0110    of  the    transports   was    on 
fire,  and  the  dense  white   smoke  arising  was   from   burning 
cotton.       General    Grant,  with    field-glass  in  hand,  stationed 
himself  upon  the  hurricane  deck,  to  watch  the  progress  of 
his    daring  venture.      lie   alone  was  culm.      The  whole   city 
was  now  aroused,  for  lights  were  gleaming  in  every  quarter. 
The  transport  burned  was  tho  Henry  Clay,  tho  cotton  taking 
fire  from  tho   explosion  of  shells.      Nothing  more  would   be 


MKS.     BELLE    REYNOLDS.  277 

known  that  night,  niul  wo  reluctantly  returned  to  Millikcn's 
Bend  as  daylight  was  breaking  in  the  east." 

After  tho  fall  of  Vickaburg,  Mrs.  Reynolds  remained 
with  her  husband  at  headquarters,  near  tho  city,  for  a  num 
ber  of  months,  her  time  passing  very  pleasantly  in  tho 
customary  guycties  of  tho  camp,  and  in  visits  to  neighbor 
ing  places  of  interest  or  beauty.  She  broke  off  a  bough  of 
tho  famous  "Truce  Tree,"  imder  which  Vicksburg  was  sur 
rendered,  which  sho  preserves  as  an  interesting  memento 
of  tho  great  tioeno  enacted  there.  Tho  period  for  which 
Lieutenant  Reynolds  enlisted  expired  in  tho  spring  of 
1864,  and  his  military  career  and  tho  long  series  of  ad 
ventures  in  whicli  "  Major "  Reynolds  had  figured  camo  to 
it  close,  and  they  both  turned  again,  with  inexpressible 
relief  and  delight,  to  tho  blessings  of  privacy  and  tho 
delights  of  home:,  grateful  that  God  had  seen  fit  to  sparo 
their  lives  through  so  many  vicissitudes  and  amid  such 
fearful  dangers. 


MRS.    CHARLOTTE    E.    McKAY. 

THE  facts  of  personal  history  that  led  to  tho  enlist 
ment  of  tho  soldier  were  as  various  as  tho  circum 
stances  of  human  life  ;  and  tho  same  variety  and  blending 
of  motive  were  found  among-  those  -who  devoted  their 
whole  time  to  hospital  service  in  tho  care  of  tho  sick  and 
suffering. 

A.  pure  and  mere  desire  to  bo  useful  to  the  country  was 
tho  simple  but  powerful  and  all-suificient  motive  with 
some.  Others  had  sons,  or  husbands,  or  lovers  in.  the 
army,  and  entered  upon  hospital  life  with  a  view  of  being 
near  tho  objects  of  their  lovo  when  sickness  or  wounds 
should  overtake  them  in  the  lino  of  duty. 

Others,  again,  were  impelled  by  religious  zeal.  They 
thought  that  among  so  many  young  men,  homeless  and 
suffering,  in  a  life  of  constant  change  and  perpetual  danger, 
opportunities  would  bo  frequent  for  making  moral  and 
religious  suggestions  with  happy  effect ;  that  when  they 
saw  Death  in  so  many  forms,  and  faced  him  every  day,  tho 
propriety  of  being  fitted  for  that  chuiigo  would  be  obvious 
to  all.  They  hoped,  too,  amid  so  many  dying,  to  do 
untold  good  by  whispering  tho  words  of  supreme  hope  and 
consolatioii  in  cars  that  were  growing  dull  to  all  human 
sounds. 

(278) 


MltS.     CHAltLOTTE     E.     McKAV.  279 

Others,  again,  sought  the  activity  and  self-forgetfulncsa 
of  army  life  and  army  lahor  to  soothe  the  pain  of  hitter 
hereavomciit,  to  give  to  the  suftering  patriot  those  atten 
tions  which  had  now  no  domestic  object  npou  which  they 
could  he  lavished.  They  might  use  the  word*  of  that 
Hebrew  widow,  who  was  also  childlcaa  :  "  Call  mo  not 

Xuomi call  mo  Mara,  for  t lie  Almighty  hath  dealt  very 

bitterly  with  me." 

"Death,"  writes  Lord  llacou,  "arrives  gracious  only  to 
such  as  ait  in  darkness,  to  despairful  widows,  pensive  pris 
oners,  and  deposed  kings  ;  to  I  hem  whose  fortune  runs 
back,  and  whose  spirits  mutiny  :  unto  such  Death  is  u 
redeemer." 

liut  the  interval  between  the  blasting  of  earthly  hopes 
and  the  arrival  of  death  can  be  passed  in  no  activity  so 
wholesome  or  congenial  as  in  labors  of  public  charity. 

Thinking  thus,  in  the  spring  of  18(i2,  when  her  pleasant 
homo  in  Massachusetts  had  been  utterly  desolated  by  tho 
successive  deaths  of  her  husband  and  her  only  child,  Mrs. 
Mclvay  turned  tho  key  in  the  door  of  tlio  houso  which  was 
dear  to  her  now  only  for  tho  memory  of  what  had  been, 
and  sought  oblivion,  and  at  the  same  time  usefulness,  in 
tho  army  of  tho  I?otoinac.  Her  army  life-  began  ut  l<Vcd- 
crielc  Oity,  in  Maryland,  on  the  24th  of  March,  18(»2,  where 
she  arrived  and  commenced  her  labors  just  in  time  to  assist 
in  the  care  of  a  great  number  of  wounded  from  the  battle 
of  Winchester,  which  had  been  fought  between  Banks  nnd 
Stonewall  claoksoii  tho  day  before. 

The  hospital  consisted  of  two  old  stone  buildings,  with 
some  modern  barracks  attached,  all  quite  unexceptionable 


280  WOMEN'    OF    THE    WAR. 

in  their  external  arrangements,  ami  tho  inmates  she  found 
much  tho  sumo  as  in  army  hospitals  everywhere. 

''I  find,"  she  writes,  "much  suffering,  both  physical  and 
mental,  depression,  ami  discontent.  In  other  eases  thcro  aro 
patience,  endurance,  and  gratitude,  and  tho  whole  is  often 
mingled  and  relieved  by  touehcs  of  tho  grotesque  and 
ludicrous."  Tho  first  earo  was  to  administer  —  sosiiu  times 
before  they  were  taken  from  the  ambulances  —  food  and  some 
slightly  stimulating"  drink.  Then  all  those  whose  wounds 
were  not  very  deep  and  painful,  after  they  had  been  washed 
ami  combed,  and  their  wounds  dressed,  their  torn  and 
bloody  battle  clothes  replaced  by  those  which  were  clean, 
and  wholesome,  would,  sit  up  in  thciir  bods,  or  walk:  around 
the  wards,  cheerful,  sometimes  jolly,  and  always  grateful 
that  it  was  no  worse  with  them. 

Tho  cases  of  many  of  these  wounded  soldiers  became 
very  interesting  to  ^Irs.  ^IcICay,  and  the  hospital  diary 
which  she  kept,  during  the  wholo  time  of  her  labor  in  tho 
army,  is  rich  in  incidents  and  recitals,  which  arc  written 
with  uncommon  tasto  and  skill.  Ono  poor  German  boy  sho 
speaks  of,  who  interested  her  as  much  by  his  misfortunes 
as  by  tho  noblo  spirit  in  which  he  bore  his  sufferings. 
His  wound  had  not  been  dangerous  originally.  A  ball  had 
pierced  his  arm  ;  but  tho  hurt  had  been  carefully  attended 
to,  and  ho  was  getting  on  admirably,  when,  as  ho  was 
crossing  tho  ward  one  day,  his  foot  caught,  and  as  ho  was 
largo »  ho  fell  with  tho  wholo  of  his  heavy  weight  upon  tho 
wounded  arm.  Tho  consequence  was  a  tcrriblo  fracture, 
which  was  found  by  tho  surgeons  to  bo  incurublo,  and  tho 
shattered  arm  was  cut  oil*.  For  eleven  weeks  ho  lingered, 


MHS.     CHARLOTTE    E.     MeKAV.  281 

at  first  improving  quito  rapidly,  but  afterwards  sinking, 
hopelessly.  IIo  received  tho  most  careful  ulteiitiuu  from 
both  physicians  and  nurses,  for  ho  was  a  noble-looking 
fellow,  u.  member  of  oiio  of  tho  Ohio  regiments,  and  every 
thing  wad  done  to  aavo  his  life. 

Mrs.  McKay  was  his  nurse,  and  her  devotion  was  as 
siduous  ;  but  tho  ciiro  and  skill  were  bestowed  in  vain.  IIo 
was  sinking  into  a  soldier's  grave,  and  as  earthly  scenes 
failed,  ho  desired  to  have  the  supremo  rites  of  his  church 
performed  over  his  dying  pillow.  lie  was  always  glad  to 
hear  portions  of  tho  Bible,  or  any  good  book,  read  to  him. 
Just  before  he  died  she  saw  that  he  was  making  an  effort  to 
speak.  She  bent  over  him,  to  catch,  if  possible,  his  part 
ing  words.  Slowly  and  with  pain  he  whispered  them,  one 
by  one,  in  her  ear:  "  I  want  —  I  want — "  said  ho.  "What 

do  you  want,  Russell?  "  "I  want  to  tell  you  what 

what  I  will  do for  you when  I  get  to another  place." 

One  Sunday,  \\hilo  Mrs.  McKay  was  superintending  tho 
distribution  of  dinner  in  her  ward,  sho  heard  footsteps  at 
the  farther  end  of  the  long  ward,  and,  looking  up,  saw  tho 
chief  medical  director,  and  with  him,  a  few  steps  in  advance, 
a,  gentleman  in  eivil  dress,  whoso  bearing  at  once  riveted 
her  attention. 

'.There  wad  nothing  peculiar  in  his  brown  suit,  whito 
cravat,  sallow  complexion,  heavy  gray  beard,  and  tho 
anxious  expression  of  his  faco.  Vet  in  all  combined  thcro 
-was  something  to  arrest  and  fix  tho  attention  in  tho  manner 
of  tho  quiet  and  courteous,  yet  earnest  stranger  ;  and  sho 
stood  looking  at  him,  ad  ho  passed  down  the  long  row  of 
hospital  cotd,  hid  keen  cyo  seeming  to  take  in  ovorj'thing, 


282  WOMEN    OF    TIIE    WAR. 

and  especially  tho  araouut  and  quality  of  the  food  that  was 
being-  served  out  to  the  patients. 

**  Do  you  know  who  visited  our  hospital  to-day  ?  "  asked 
Mrs.  Mclvay  of  a  lady  friend,  whom  eho  met  in  the  grounds 
soon  after.  "  O,  yes,  ho  is  a  doctor}  ho  was  in  the  Crimean 
war,  is  very  rich,  lives  in  Louisiana,  ia  a  «-ood  Union  man, 
and  owns  a  large  sugar  plantation.  lie  introdueed  himself 
to  Dr.  AV-,  and  asked  to  look  through  the  hospital." 

Xot  long  after  she  asked  the  same  question  of  a  rebel 
soldier  in  the  hospital,  and  ho  informed  her  that  this  man 
was  Stonewall  Jackson,  and  that  he  often  penetrated  the 
Union  lines  to  acquaint  himself  with  positions  and  move 
ments,  sometimes  in  one  disguise,  and  sometimes  in 
another. 

The  summer  of  1862  passed  without  much  novelty  at  the 
hospital  in  Frederick  City,  where  Mrs.  McKay  was  labor 
ing.  Tho  wounded  were  mostly  from  Uank.s's  force,  who, 
during  the  greater  part  of  that  campaign,  was  pitted  against 
Stonewall  Jackson.  lint  early  111  September  came  tho 
astounding  intelligence  that  tho  whole  Union  forco  had 
been  engaged  by  tho  combined  forces  of  I^eo  mid  Jackson, 
at  Mantissas,  and  driven  in  defeat  across  tho  1'otomac  into 
"Washington  City  ;  and  that  tho  rebel  army,  victorious,  but 
ragged  and  hungry,  was  advancing  on  Frederick  City. 

Mrs.  Mclvay,  notwithstanding  tho  panic  that  prevailed  in 
tho  neighborhood,  determined  to  remain  at  her  self-assigned 
post  of  duty,  and  tako  care  of  those  who  were  too  feeblo 
to  flee  beforo  the  advancing  foe.  Moanwhilo  her  pen  was 
not  idle,  and  she  has  preserved  a  connected  and  graphic 
account  of  the  rebel  occupation. 


MUS.     CHARLOTTE     E.     McKAV.  283 

"As  the  town  could  not  bo  defended,"  she  writes,  "  the 
citizens  prepared  to  give  Loo  as  silent  a  reception  as  pos 
sible.  Tbe  Homo  Guard  was  sent  off,  and  every  patient  iu 
the  hospital  who  could  walk  hurried  to  the  outskirts  of  tho 
town,  whcro  teams  wcro  seized  to  carry  them  to  a  safe 
distance.  Immense  quantities  of  government  clothing, 
blankets,  and  other  stores,  wero  heaped  in  piles  and 
burned. 

"Blinds  were  closed  on  tho  houses,  and  anon  the  streets 
became  silent  and  deserted.  Wo  waited  aiixiou&ly  for  their 
coming,  quite  ignorant  as  to  what  policy  they  might  pursue, 
and  uncertain  to  what  fato  they  might  consign  us.  At 
length,  at  about  ten  o'clock,  on  tho  morning  of  the  (Jth  of 
September,  tho  glitter  of  long  row d  of  polished  lmyonc-td 
was  Hashing  on  tho  top  of  tho  hill  cast  of  tho  town,  and 
soon  after  tho  long  column  began,  to  pour  rather  lazily 
through  Main  Street.  A  miserablo  baiul,  wilh  a  few  cracked 
and  battered  instruments,  attempted  to  play  *  Maryland, 
my  Maryland  I  '  but  tho  effort  seemed  soon  to  exhaust  itaolf. 
Presently  a  squad  of  horsemen  from  the  vanguard  dashed 
into  tho  hospital  3'aid,  and  presenting  drawn  buhrca  to  tho 
few  medical  ofliecrs  who  stood  leaning  on  tho  balcony  of 
one  of  tho  old  stono  buildings,  demanded,  in  tho  name  of 
tho  C'o  11  fed  era  to  States,  tho  surrender  of  tho  post. 

"The  summons  was  immediately  obeyed,  and  forthwith 
mounted  guards  wero  stationed  at  tho  door  of  every  ward. 
*  Our  men  must  havo  been  asleep  to  let  3'ou  como  into 
Maryland,'  said  0110  of  our  hospital  stewards  to  a.  stern- 
looking  rebel.  'Yes/  replied  tho  haughty  Southron,  'a 
good  many  of  them  aro  sleeping  at  Bull  Kim.'  Soon  a 


284=  WOMEN     OF     THE     WAR- 

brigadc  of  Virginia  troops  marched  up  and  encamped  on 
tho  hospital  ground.  As  they  filed  in,  wo  could  soo  that 
nearly  every  soldier  had  on  his  shoulder  a  watermelon, 
captured  from  tho  neighboring-  field.  They  quickly  seated 
themselves  in  squads  on  tho  ground,  and  began  to  cat, 
throwing  tho  refuse  about  our  niccly-polieod  grounds.  It 
was  but  tho  beginning-  of  sorrows  in  that  line  ;  for,  beforo 
tho  week  was  tint,  tho  place,  which  had  been  a  model  of 
neatness,  was  turned  into  a  pen  of  Hlth.  "When  I  went  to 
my  quarters  that  iiii^lit,  just  outside-  tho  hospital  inclosurc, 
I  could  enter  tho  door  only  by  stepping  over  the  body  of  a 
rebel  soldier,  who  was  lying  there  insensible,  cither  from 
fatigue  or  liquor.  A.iiothcr,  in.  the  sumo  condition,  waa 
stowed  along  on  the  brick  pavement  under  my  window,  in. 
front  of  which  a  third  stood  guard.  I  parsed  tin:  night 
without  fear,  though  sleep  was  driven  away  by  tho  con 
tinual  tramp  of  troops  passing  along  the  streets,  and 
tho  rumbling  of  artillery  and  baggage  wagons.  This 
continued,  with  little  cessation,  for  tho  next  two  or  threo 
days,  imtil  the  whole  rebel  army  had  passed  through  tho 
town  ;  and  as  I  sat  at  my  window,  watching1  them  hour 
after  hour,  I  could  almost  imagine  that  all  tho  beggars  in, 
tho  world  had  congregated  in  that  mighty  host,  so  ragged 
•were  they,  so  lilthy  and  squalid  in  appearance.  Vet  thcso 
men  were  by  no  means  ruffians.  Seeing  mo  at  tho  window, 
they  would  sometimes  stop,  and  ask  politely  for  food  ;  and 
•when  I  gave  whatever  I  had  at  hand,  they  received  it  with 
gratitude. 

"  When  I  went  among  them  in  tho  wards  which  they  occu 
pied,  they  promptly  made  way  for  me,  mid  thanked  mo  with 


AlltS.     01IAIILOTTE    E.     Me  HAT.  285 

fervor  for  whatever  I  could  supply  for  tho  relief  of  hunger, 
sickness,  or  wounds.  In  my  owu  ward,  which  was  con 
stantly  thronged  with  them,  wo  held  long  conversations  on 
tho  origin,  progress,  and  probable  termination  of  the  war; 
and  many  of  them  I  found  to  bo  intelligent,  thoughtful, 
even  Christian  men,  having  implicit  faith  in  their  cause,  in 
God  as  its  especial  leader,  and,  next  to  him,  in  Stonewall 
Jackson. 

"  Oil  parting  with  our  soldiers,  they  shook  hands  cor 
dially,  and  hoped  it  might  never  l>o  their  fortune  to  meet 
on  tho  hallle-iicld.  JSomo  of  tho  officers  manifested  a  more 
haughty  temper.  *  Aro  3rou  tired,  soldier,  after  your  long 
march  V*  I  asked  of  one.  '  Xo  ;  I  shall  not  bo  tired  till  I 
get  to  Philadelphia.1  c  But  do  3-011  know  that  many  of  you 
poor  fellows  will  tind  a  grave  before  you  get  to  Philadel 
phia?'  'We  expected  nothing  else,  madam,  when  wo  carao 
out,  and  our  homes  and  our  little  children  are  as  dear  to  U3 
as  to  any  others.'  *  13 ut  you  aro  all  caught  in  a  nice  trap, 
and  AVO  shall  soon  see  you  rushing  out  of  this  town  much 
faster  than  you  camo  in.'  '  Perhaps  you  haven't  heard, 
madam,  how  AVO  fight  tho  Yankees  down  in  Virginia.'  *  No. 
How  is  that?'  '  Wo  fight  with  our  muskets  till  tho  powder 
is  nil  gone  ;  then  wo  break  our  gunstocks  over  their  heads  ; 
then  AVO  take  tho  fence  rails,  and  break  them  all  up  ;  and 
then  fling  rocks  at  them.'  *  Very  Avell,*  I  said  ;  'our  soldiers 
can  fight  Avith  fence  rails  and  rocks  as  well  as  yon,  and  by 
tho  time  3-011  get  to  Philadelphia,  you'll  have  plenty  of  that 
sort  of  work.' " 

A  few  days  wrought  an.  ontiro  change.  Tho  rebel  forco 
vacated  Frederick  City.  Tho  Union  army  pressed  forward 


286  W05TEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

to  engage  them,  and  then  followed,  the  great  battles  at  South 
Mountain  and  Aiitictam,  by  which  tho  hospitals  at  Freder 
ick  City,  and  all  others  in  the  vicinity,  were  crowded  with 
tho  bleeding  mid  mangled  remnants  of  tho  great  boats  who 
contended  on  those  ever-memorable  fields. 

For  many  days  tho  inmates  of  this  hospital  were  sur 
rounded  by  the  roar  and  intense  excitement  of  great 
military  events. 

Perched  upon  the  highest  point  of  the  hospital  buildings, 
Mrs.  McKay,  and  tho  few  who  remained  in  tho  midst  of 
scenes  so  rude,  watched  tho  swaying  and  changing  lines. 
Now  a  party  of  skirmishers  are  making  their  way  across  a 
cornfield.  "  Soon  they  tear  away  tho  fence,  and  arc.  in  tho 
hospital  ground.-*.  ~\Vo  rush  to  moot  them,  tako  them  by 
tho  hand,  lend  them  into  tho  house,  and  sot  before  them 
food,  whatever  wo  can  find.  They  cat  hastily,  and  hurry 
back  to  their  places  in  the  ranks,  for  there  is  no  time  or 
place  for  rest  now." 

Mrs.  McKay  remained  011  duty  in  this  hospital  for  some 
time  after  Lee,  with  his  decimated  army,  had  fallen  back 
into  Virginia,  and  established  his  lines  along  the  south  bank 
of  ^  the  Icuppahannook. 

At  iho  time  of  Burnsitlo's  unfortunate  advance  and  ill- 
plamicd  attack  at  Fretlortckshurg1,  she  went  to  Washington 
City,  and  in  the  hospitals  there  nursed  many  of  those 
•who  had  boon  brought  directly  from  that  disastrous  field  to 
Washington. 

Early  in  January,  18G3,  she  was,  after  much  difficulty, 
furnished  with  a  pass  which  admitted  her  within  tho  army 
lines  at  Falmouth,  where  the  army  was  encamped.  She 


MRS.     CIIAULOTTE    E.     McKAY.  287 

spent  several  days  in  visiting  her  brother  and  other 
friends  in  the  Seventeenth  Maino  volunteers,  mid  then 
sought  active  employment  aa  a  nurso  in  Third  Corps  Hos 
pital,  which  had  just  boon  established.  Sho  was  so  fortu 
nate  aa  to  iind  quarters  in  a  houso  near  by,  and  received 
permission  from  tho  surgeon  in  charge  to  work  for  the 
patients.  There  was  need  enough  of  work,  and  of  hos 
pital  supplied  for  tho  poor  fellows,  many  of  whom,  very 
sick,  wero  lying  in  tents,  on  tho  cold,  wet  ground,  with  no 
other  bet)  or  covering  than  an  army  blanket,  and  no  other 
diet  thiin  salt  pork,  navy  bcatia,  and  hard-tack.  T\>r  tho 
establishment  of  a  special  diet  kitchen  there  was  literally 
nothing  on  hand.  »Sho  had  brought  a  few  utensils  from 
"Washington,  ami  with  those  and  the  cans  in  which  preserved 
meats  and  fruits  had  been  brought,  and  a  little  iron  boiler, 
occasionally  borrowed  from  an.  old  negro  woman,  she  was 
soon  aible  to  scud  out  into  tho  dillerent  wards  puddings  of 
corn  staroh  mid  farina,  beef  tea,  chocolate,  tea,  soup,  and 
jelly,  whioh,  with  good  fresh  bread  and  butter,  were  indeed 
luxurious  fare  for  the  poor  fellows,  as  compared  with  army 
rations. 

I5y  degrees  tho  hospital  improved,  and  assumed  a  com 
fortable  and  even  cheerful  appearance.  General  IMriiey 
sent  daily  details  of  men  to  cut  poles  in  tho  woods  and 
make  bunks,  which,  with  tho  help  of  straw  and  blankets, 
made  bods  that  were  quite  comfortable.  And  Airs.  liirnoy, 
who  frequently  visited  the  patients,  encouraged  and  cheered 
them  by  her  charming  presence,  and  by  the  gifts  of  delica 
cies,  with  which  she  always  canio  abundantly  supplied. 
Other  stores  were  drawn  from  tho  United  States  Sanitary 


288  WO^TEN    OF    TIIB    WAR. 

Commission,  and  vairious  other  sources,  until  the  diet  tablo 
showed  quite  un  extensive  variety. 

About  the  middle  of  April  tuo  First  division,  Third  corps, 
moved  to  Potomac  Creek,  about  ten  "miles  from  Fulmouth, 
and  a  new  hospital  was  established  there.  A  few  days 
after,  the  whole  army  crossed  the  Kappahannock,  and  the 
long,  bloody,  yet  indecisive  battle  of  ChaueeHorsvillo 
ensued.  Here  Mrs.  McKay's  wish  of  being  close  in  the 
rear  of  u  great  1  Kittle  was  fully  realized.  With  an  ambu 
lance  well  loaded  with  supplies,  she  was  able  to  follow  tho 
army  across  the  pontoon  bridge,  and  established  herself  at 
a  large  brick  house,  two  or  three  miles  from  tho  front  lino 
of  battle.  In  a  few  hours,  this  houso,  and  all  the  surround 
ing1  grounds,  were  crowded  with  men  wounded  and  dying, 
aud  there  were  exhibited  all  thoso  various  and  ghastly 
spectacles  which  arc  tho  terrible,  though  inevitable,  conse 
quences  of  war.  These  scenes  were  soon  made  still  moro 
distressing  for  her  by  terrible  reports  that  came  from  tho 
front.  Sho  was  told  that  her  dear  brother  had  fallen  in  tho 
conflict,  shot  through  tho  heart,  and  that  many  other  friends 

had  shared  tho  same  late.  Aftor  tho  army balHcd,  though 

iiover  fully  engaged  —  was  withdrawn  to  tho  north  side  of 
the  river,  immense  trains  of  ambulances  were  busy,  day  and 
night,  drawing  their  loads  of  wounded  over  roads  inde 
scribably  wretched,  while  thousands  were  left  sullcring  and 
dying  on  the  field. 

"  AVe  have  lost  too  much  to  givo  up  now  ;  we  have  some 
thing  to  revenge,"  said  Captain.  F.,  her  brother's  friend  and 
tent-mate,  as  ho  stood  one  evening  in  front  of  her  tent,  just 
ready  to  mount  hia  horse  and  rido  away.  Ho  was  very 


MRS.     CHARLOTTE     E.     MoKAY.  289 

palo,  and  thcro  was  a  gravity  in  his  manner  quite  unnat 
ural,  for  ho  was  usually  gay,  and  apparently  light-hearted. 
A  few  wcoks  later,  and  ho  lay  writhing  in  pain,  and  dying 
on  tho  bloody  field  of  Gettysburg. 

When  tho  Union  army  left  its  base  at  Falinonth  and 
Acquin,  Orcek,  and  moved  forward  to  confront  tho  haughty 
rebel  forco  on  northern  soil,  tho  hospitals  woro  brokou  up, 
and  tho  patients  sent  to  Washington,  where  also  Mrs. 
Mclvay  went,  to  remain  until  it  should  bo  known  whero, 
along  or  within  tho  border,  tho  groat  blow  had  been  struck. 

On  tho  4th  of  July  tho  Washington  journals  contained 
accounts  of  tho  great  engagement  on  tho  1st,  2d,  and  3d,  at 
Gettysburg.  On  tho  Gth  Mrs.  Mclvay  went  to  Baltimore, 
and  theiico  to  tho  point  nearest  tho  field  accessible  by  rail. 

After  some  delay  and  difficulty,  travelling  tho  last  twenty- 
five  milcjg  in  si  luigii  army  wagon,  on  a  pilo  of  forage,  sho 
reached  tho  hospital  of  her  division,  about  fivo  miles  from 
Gettysburg  ;  and  hero,  for  tho  remainder  of  July  and  tho 
greater  part  of  August,  her  labors  were  such  aa  tho  vaat 
accumulation  of  suffering  around  her  seemed  to  demand. 

Her  labors  and  annoyances  in  conducting  tho  special  diet 
department  were  greatly  increased  by  tho  absurd  and  vexa 
tious  reel  tape-ism  of  some  army  officials,  who  not  only 
objected  to  volunteer  lady  nurses,  but  threw  all  obstacles 
nnd  impediments  in  their  way. 

For  almost  tho  whole-  timo  of  her  labor  at  Gettysburg 
she  had  no  facilities  for  cooking  for  a  thousand  or  fifteen 
hundred  sick  men  but  a  row  of  camp  kettles,  suspended 
from  a  long  polo.  Her  requisition  for  a  stove  was  brought 
back  disapproved  by  the  medical  director  of  tho  post,  on 
19 


29O  \VOMEX    OF    TTIE    WAR. 

the  ground  that  ho  had  stoves  in  Baltimore,  which,  when 
they  caiuo,  were  found  entirely  unfit  for  field  use. 

In  the  full  of  1803,  when  thoso  who  remained  of  tho 
Gettysburg  sufferers  had  been  collected  in  one  great  hospi 
tal,  Mrs.  Mclvay  again  sought  tho  front.  AVarreiitou,  in 
Virginia,  was  now  headquarters,  and  thcro  wcro  much  suf 
fering  and  destitution  in  tho  numerous  regimental  hospitals. 
These,  especially  thoso  of  tho  Third  division,  she  visited 
regularly,  dispensing  such  comforts  as  she  could  draw  from 
tho  Sanitary  Commission  and  other  sources. 

Very  lato  in  that  year  came  tho  fight  at  Mine  Run,  in 
\vhieh  this  division  suffered  sevoro  losses  ;  and  soon  after 
tho  Army  of  tho  Potomac  wont  into  winter  quarters,  and 
Brandy  Station  hero  became  tho  hospital  centre.  Tho 
usual  routine  of  well-organized  hospital  labor  filled  tho 
time  during  that  winter  and  spring,  till  tho  order  of  March 
26th  removed  "  all  ladies  connected  with  the  various  asso 
ciations,  commissions,  and  agencies,  operating  within  tho 
army  lines." 

Imposing  as  was  tho  sound  of  this  order,  itd  effect  was  to 
banish  good  and  faithful  army  nurses  from  the  lines  barely 
for  a  month.  In  tho  early  days  of  May  came  tho  great 
battles  of  tho  \Vilderness  and  Spottsylvania. 

All  tin;  hospital  workers  agree  that  at  no  timo  during  tho 
war  was  thcro  such  ail  accumulation  of  suffering  ns  during 
tho  months  of  May  and  Juno,  18G4.  Oreat  battle  followed 
great  battlo  with  appalling  frequency.  Tho  contest  seemed 
to  havo  changed  its  principles.  It  was  now  a  question 
which  army  could  survive  tho  most  copious  blood-letting. 
Hospital  accommodations  were  largo,  yet  sadly  inadequate. 


MRS.     CIIAULOTTE    E.     McKAV.  291 

Transportation  was  at  times  so  embarrassed  and  delayed 
that  vast  numbers  suffered,  from  hunger,  aud  many  of  the 
aick  and  wounded  perished  for  want  of  suitable  and 
sufficient  food. 

In  all  these  fearful  scenes  and  constant  labors,  Mrs. 
McKay  took  an  active  and  efficient  part. 

In  the  hospitals  ut  Krodoricksburg,  White  House,  and 
City  Point,  she  labored  for  the  «ick  of  the  division  with 
which  bho  had  been  so  long  connected.  But  about  the  first 
of  cltiiio  the  army  organization,  was  considerably  changed. 
The  old  Third  corps  was  so  reduced  by  sickness  and  battlo 
that  it  was  now  made  the  Third  division  of  the  Second  corps. 
Most  of  the  old  surgeons  were  dead,  or  had  left  the  service, 
and  General  liiriioy,  who  had  long  been  her  friend,  was 
now  transferred  ;  and  Airs.  McKay  accepted  an  invitation 
from  the  surgcoii-in-chicf  of  the  Cavalry  Corpa  Hospital  to 
attend  there  and  take  charge  of  the  special  diet  department. 
Hero  she  labored  for  nearly  a  year,  till  just  before  tho  full 
of  Itichiuoiid,  and  tho  close  of  the  Avar. 

Many  incidents  occurred  during  her  stay  which  illustrate 
tho  swift  vicissitudes  and  tragic  scenery  of  war,  as  well  as 
the  kindness  and  fidelity  of  Mrs.  McKay's  labor.  One 
evening,  as  she  was  sitting  in  her  tent,  tho  flap  was  drawn 
abide,  and  a  pleasant-looking  soldier  boy  inquired  for  Mrs. 
S.  "  Sho  has  go  no  out  just  now  ;  can  I  do  anything  for 
you?"  "I  am  her  son,"  was  the  reply,  full  of  repressed 
emotion.  Sho  directed  him  to  tho  place  whither  his  mother 
had  gone,  aiid  soon  after  saw  them  united  in  a  tearful  em 
brace.  Mrs.  S.  had  given  four  sons  to  the  Union  army, 
and  they  had  enlisted  from  the  noblest  and  most  patriotic 


292  WOMEN  of  TUB 


motives.  One,  reduced  to  a  akolotou  by  sickness 
exposure,  had  gone  Lome  to  die.  Just  a  year  from  the  day 
of  his  death  a  second  son  had  died  in  the  hospital.  Hear 
ing  of  hid  illness,  in  her  home  in  the  northern  part  of 
Maine,  she  had  hastened  to  hia  bedside,  to  minister  the  last 
offices  of  maternal  affection  ;  but  when  she  reached  tho 
Cavalry  Corps  Hospital  ho  had  been  lying-  fivo  days  in  tlio 
grave.  Her  grief  was  very  great  ;  but  seeing  so  many 
suffering,  -whose  kindred  were  far  away,  she  restrained 
her  emotion,  and  devoted  herself  to  caring  for  tho  sick, 
becoming  so  much  interested  in  tho  work  that  she  begged  to 
be  put  on  permanent  duty  in  the  hospital.  The  men  were 
always  glad  to  see  her  in  tho  wards,  because,  as  they  said  to 
her,  "yon  seem  so  much  like  my  mother;  3rour  hand  feels 
so  much  like  my  mother's  hand."  A  third  son  was  in  ser 
vice  in  Florida  ;  nnd,  uflcr  two  ycara  of  separation,  Buffer 
ing  much  from  hunger,  weariness,  and  hardship,  tlio  fourth 
was  for  a  few  hours  witli  her  again.  They  speak  tearfully 
of  the  past,  and  not  without  anxiety  of  the  future.  Ho 
tells  her  of  coinriidc^  —  acjuiu  uf  them  old  iiluyfulltnra  from. 
the  muitu  ttnvu  —  Killed  in  butilu  i  uo£.?oulally  v£  I/JUG  peer 
fcllow  who  ivaa  shot  on  picket  after  his  term  of  service  had 
expired,  and  snys  of  him,  "Toll  his  mother  ha  was  a  good 
soldier."  They  sportk  of  him  who  has  just  passed  away  to 
his  eternal  home,  and  after  a  while  go  out  to  visit  hia  grave. 
Ho  liua  in  thu  liulu  cemetery  of  tho  hoapitul,  juafc  in  tho 
cdgo  of  tho  "woods,  near  tho  bank  of  tho  Appomattox. 
Thoro  sloop  more  than  a  hundred  soldiers  of  tho  cavalry 
corps  who  have  died  in  the  hospital.  Thoy  lio,  each  ono 
•with  his  little  head-board,  giving  his  name,  regiment,  and 


MH3.     CIIAUIX5TTB     E.     McKAV.  203 

tho  duto  of  liia  death,  in  rows  as  regular  aa  thoso  in  which 
they  lately  atootl  ou  dread  parade,  or  drawn  out  in  lino  of 
buttle.  But  titiio  is  precious,  and  they  cannot  stay  long  to 
weep  at  his  grave,  for  tho  few  hours  of  tho  soiTa  furlough 
soon  pass,  and  ho  bids  his  mother  good- by,  saying,  "Do 
not  fear  for  me,  mother;  if  I  die  in  battlo  or  in  camp  I  will 
surely  meet  you  in  heaven."  lie  carries  under  hid  arm  a 
little  bundle,  which  it  had  been  a  pleasuro  to  prepare  for 
Him  :  shirt,  drawers,  socks,  handkerchief,  towel,  and  somo 
littlo  dainties  to  tempt  his  appetite,  tied  in  a  large,  colored 
handkerchief,  which  ho  will  find  it  pleasant  aomo  cold  night 

on  picket  to  tic  arouittl  his  throat littlo   gifts,  promptings 

of  a  mother's  love,  how  invaluable  to  tho  soldier  boy  ! 

Oiio  afternoon  ono  of  tho  ward-masters  camo  to  ]\Irs. 
McKay,  and  said,  "Jim  is  dead  !  "  lie  was  a  mail  to  whom 
her  attention  was  called,  when  ho  came  to  tho  hospital,  aa  a* 
brave  soldier,  and  worthy  of  especial  attention.  It  was  hoped 
that  something  might  bo  dono  for  him  ;  but  all  efforts  for 
his  restoration  wcro  unavailing,  and  ho  sank  gradually 
away.  On  tha  morning  bufoi«a  hid  death,  ho  said,  in  roply 
to  Mm.  Mi'IO.iy"*  mijtiiru>«  lutncuriiinir  hU  luMLltli.  that  liti 
felt  quito  well,  and  could  cat  unj •  thing  i  but  hid  lipa  wcro 
then  atitiuiiiiig  with  tho  froata  of  death,  and  hid  limhc*  nearly 
cold,  nntl  in  a  t"o\v  hours  ho  \v:xa  goi\o.  Ho  was  rospoetably 
connected,  and  tlio  possessor  of  <mita  a  largo  property. 
AVIiilt*  «iI»s;tMit  in  thti  tliriu*  moiitlis*  s;t!rxrii!i».  at  thci  ctiiimieiitrc- 
mcnt  of  tho  war,  tho  youii;^  K*11^  tu  whom  ho  waa  engaged 
io  bo  married  wao  loot  to  him  through  iho  treachery  of  </nc 
who  had  supplanted  him  in  her  affections.  Krom  tho  timo 
ho  arrived  homo  and  learned  the  foets,  hia  solo  object  ill 


294  |     WOMEN'    OF    THE     WAR 

life  had  l>oGn  to  punish  her  seducer.  The  latter,  being-  nmdo 
uware  of  his  intention,  immediately  left  the  place,  and  went 
to  Washington.  Thither  he  followed,  and  learning  that  ho 
had  enlisted  in  a  Pennsylvania  regiment,  hesitated  not  to  do 
the  same.  Before  he  could  reach  the  regiment,  intelligence 
came  that  the  object  of  his  pursuit  had  been  captured  while 
on  picket.  "Whether  -this  was  true,  or  whether,  learning 
that  the  avenger  was  at  hand,  he  had  deserted  to  tho 
enemy,  was  never  known  ;  but  it  is  curtain  that,  after 
three  years  of  battled,  efforts,  worn,  out  with  hard  service 
and  exposure  in  camp  and  field,  added  to  tho  burden  of 
mental  anguish,  which  ho  always  bore,  poor  "Jim"  came  to 
tho  hospital  to  die,  tho  wreck  of  a  once  noblo  and  generous- 
hearted  man.  A  few  days  before  his  death  ho  transmitted 
to  hia  friends  a  largo  sum  of  money,  to  be  used  for  tho  poor 
girl's  benefit,  whom,  witli  her  child,  ho  had  maintained 
during  his  absence,  though  ho  had  entirely  relinquished  tho 
idea  of  marrying  her. 

Tho  vigilance  required  to  prevent  sanitary  store.*;  iu 
transit  from  falling  into  unprincipled  hands  is  fully  illus 
trated  in  a  mishap  which  occurred  to  Mrs.  McKay  in 
the  summer  of  18G3.  At  Washington  she  had  packed  a 
box  containing  a  largo  number  of  articles,  useful  for  her 
own  mess  and  for  preparing  special  diet,  and  some  choice 
liquors.  Having  obtained  transportation,  it  was  put  on  tho 
same  train  of  cars  on  which  sho  herself  took  passage.  At 
tho  last  station  before  reaching  Sulphur  Springs,  Virginia, 
her  destination,  sho  inquired  for  her  box,  and  was  told  that 
tho  baggage  train  had  stopped  several  miles  back,  at  War- 
reuton  Junction  ;  it  had  not  conic,  but  would  bo  there  the 


MRS.     CHARLOTTE     E.     McKAY.  295 

iiext  day.  Sho  went  on  to  General  Biraey's  headquarters, 
at  Sulphur  Springs,  uina  miles  from  tho  station,  that  even 
ing,  in  a  mail  wagon,  and  soon  mado  herself  acquainted 
with  tho  wants  of  tho  eick  in  tho  division;  but  without  her 
box  —  tho  contents  of  which  would  bo  a  complete  outfit  for 
hospital  operations  —  sho  could  do  nothing  for  them.  Tho 
need  was  so  great  that  0110  of  tho  Burgeons  rode  twelve 
miles  for  a  paper  of  corn  starch,  and  she  herself  rode  six 
teen  to  procure  half  ti  bottle  of  brandy.  After  repeated 
orders  having  been  sent  to  have  it  brought  up  in  a  head 
quarters  wagon,  without  effect,  she  started  in  her  ambulance 
to  hunt  it  up.  She  first  went  to  Germantown,  where  were 
the  headquarters  of  tho  army,  thinking  it  might  have  gone 
to  I>r.  Ijvtturumu,  it  bein«jj  consigned  to  his  care.  Not 
finding  it  there,  she  went  to  Bcalton,  thonco  to  AVarrcnton, 
Junction,  and  finally  to  \Varrontoii,  "where  sho  had  tho  sat 
isfaction  of  finding  her  box,  and  bringing  it  back  with  her 
in  the  ambulance.  After  a  laborious  and  vexatious  trip  of 
thirty-five  miles,  what  was  her  dismay  and  chagrin,  upon 
opening  it  next  morning,  to  find  it  filled  with  old  chains, 
halters,  broken  harness,  and  one  old  horse  blanket  !  The 
teamsters  at  Warrenton,  whero  sho  found  it,  had  "  con 
fiscated  "  its  contents,  and  filled  it  with  old  trash  from  their 
wagon  boxes. 

At  the  time  of  tho  battle  of  Hatcher's  Run  she  was  still 
engaged  in  this  hospital,  and  speaks  thus  of  the  scenes  that 
followed  that  action  :  — 

<c  Hearing  that  several  had  been  brought  in  dead,  I  went 
this  morning  to  tho  tent  used  as  a  receptacle  for  such,  to 
sec  if  any  of  my  acquaintances  wcro  among  them.  They 


296  WOilEN    Of    TILE    WAK. 

were  lying  stilF  and  cold,  in  tlioir  uniforms,  just  ns  they 
fell  in  battle.  As  I  drew  aside  tho  blue  overcoat  capes 
which  had  been  turned  over  their  faces,  what  was  my  sur 
prise  and  pain  to  recognise  among  these  frozen  sleepers  two 
young  officers  who  were  iu  the  hospital  with  wounds  only  a, 
few  months  ago  !  One  had  been  a  special  friend,  Captain 
Ilarpcr,  of  the  fourth  Pennsylvania  cavalry.  Only  a  few 
days  ago  he  called  at  my  quarters.  IIo  had  just  returned 
from  a  leave  of  absence,  during  which  he  had  visited  his 
homo.  ITull  of  life  and  energy,  in  splendid  uniform,  and 
mounted  oil  a  powerful  horde,  ho  was  tho  picture  of  a  gal 
lant  soldier.  Now,  as  I  write,  ho  lies  stretched  in  his 
rough  coffin,  his  manly  features  rigid  in  death,  awaiting 
burial." 

Tho  labors  of  Mrs.  McKay  at  the  Cavalry  Corps  Hospi 
tal  did  not  fail  of  being  fully  appreciated  by  the  gallant 
men  whose  sufferings  in  wounds  and  sickness  she  was  ublo 
to  palliate.  As  a  Christmas  present,  oil  tho  25th  December, 
1804,  they  had  given  her  a  very  handsome  gold  badge  and 
chain,  of  exquisite  manufacture,  with  tho  inscription,  — 

*T  Presented  to  Mrs.  Charlotte  E.  McKay  by  tho  soldiers 
of  tlio  Cavalry  Corps  Hospital.  Army  of  Potomac,  in 
front  of  Petersburg.  December  25,  18G4." 

So,  also,  a  few  mouths  before,  when  nursing  tho  wounded 
of  tho  Seventeenth  Maine  volunteers,  at  Clmitcellorsville, 
she  had  received  a  magnificent  Kearny  Cross,  with  tho  front 
inscription,  "  JDitlce  et  decorum  est  pro  patrui  inori;"  and 
on  tho  reverse,  "Presented  to  Mrs.  C.  K.  McKay,  by  tho 
officers  of  tho  Seventeenth  regiment  Maine  volunteers. 
May,  1863." 


MILS.     CHARLOTTE    E.     MoKAYT.  297 

Although  her  labors  as  nurso  did  not  continue  after 
March,  18G5,  sho  remained  iu  Virginia  for  more  than  a 
year,  eiiguged  with  tho  freedmeii ;  nursing  the  sick,  taking 
euro  of  those  who  were  unable  to  care  for  themselves,  lis 
tening  to  many  a  weird  tale  of  cruelty  and  injustice  in  tho 
old  d;iys  of  bondage,  and  giving  the  rudiments  of  educa 
tion  to  minds  that  were  bitting  in  darkness. 

Although  03  constant  and  laborious  iu  hospital  labors  as 
any,  she  yet  found  time  to  record  acenes,  conversations,  and 
incidents,  many  of  which  arc  of  uncommon  interest,  and 
recited  in  graphic  language,  na  tho  following,  that  aro 
subjoined  to  this  sketch  of  her  labors,  will  show  :  — 

THE  SOLDIEU'S  GIIAVE. 

Oil  tho  28th  day  of  October,  1803,  tho  headquarters  of 
tho  Army  of  the  Potomac  broke  camp  at  Auburn,  and 
moved  to  (Jolonel  ]Murray*a  farm,  about  two  miles  from 
AVarrcntoii  (Junction. 

The  headquarters  moving,  though  not  so  grand  or  striking 
a  spectacle  as  you  will  often  see  in  military  life,  is  still 
quite  imposing,  and  by  110  moans  destitute  of  tho  "  pomp 
and  circumstance  of  war."  Altogether  it  is  about  as  long  a 
procession  as  tho  eyo  can  take  in  at  once,  consisting  of  the 
kaggago  wagons  and  private  carriages  of  tho  generals  and 
other  oliieers  lilling  tho  various  departments  of  tho  army, 
accompanied  by  their  battle-flags,  a  heavy  escort  of  cavalry, 
a  regiment  of  infantry,  wagons  belonging  to  the  subsistence 
department,  and  at  this  timo  a  largo  number  of  rebel 
prisoners  marching  under  guard. 

moved    along    slowly    over    tho    hills,    through    tho 


298  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

wooded  country,  but  soon  emerged  upon  tho  plain  of 
Bristow,  where  bad  recently  been  fought  tho  battle  which, 
gave  to  Meade,  instead  of  Lee,  tho  coveted  heights  of  Ccn- 
treville,  and  to  General  \Varren  the  laurels  which  havo 
designated  him  "Hero  of  Bristow." 

It  is  a  dcsoluto   region,    and,   especially  at  this  ecason   of 
tho  year,  affording  little  to  attract  or  satisfy  the  eye.      Yet, 
as    we   passed   along,  my  attention    was  arrested   by  a  little 
scene,  which  forms  a  picture  in  memory  never  to  bo  eiraced. 
Just  off  to  tho  right,  a  short  distance  over  the   plain,  was  a 
soldiers    grave,    newly    made;    and    ranged  along,    bide   by 
side,  bowed    on   reversed    muskets    over  the   grave  of  their 
comrade,  were  lour  soldiers,  apparently  engaged  in  pruyor. 
They  had   turned    aside   from  tho   weary  march,  and   there, 
unmindful    of  tho    gay    procession     passing    by,    with    heads 
bowed  low,  and   solemn   countenances,  gave  a  few  moments 
to  communion  with  Heaven,  and  a  few  tears   to  tho    slccpor 
below.       Did    they    think,    in    thoso    momenta,    of  breaking 
hearts,  far  away,  yearning  with  vain  desire  to  kneel  by  that 
lonely  grave?      Were   they  recalling  tho    many    fearful   en 
gagements  in  which    they  and    tho    fallen   hero   had   fought, 
side  by  side,  and    crying    out    in    their   hearts,  "  Such  is  tho 
price    we    pay    for    human    freedom ;     so    much    it   costs    to 
secure  to  our  children  tho  blessings  of  a  good  government "  ? 
Or  were  they  anticipating   other   battles   speedily  approach 
ing,  and    wondering   if  they  would  bo   tho  next  to  fall,  and 
who  would  be  left  to  pray  over  their  graves  ?      I  know  not 
what   were    their    thoughts ;    but    theso    and    many    others 
rushed  upon  my  mind,  and  I,  too,  gave  a  tear  to  the  solitary 
grave.      Yes,     this    was    a    solitary    grave ;     but    on    many 


MRS.     CHARLOTTE    E.     McKAY.  299 


hill  sides,  and  in  many  valleys  of  Virginia,  3rou  will  find 
them  strewn,  "thick  as  autumn.  Icavca  in  Vallambrosa's 
brooks."  There  sleep  our  brothers  and  our  sons  —  tho  best 
we  had  to  give  ;  tho  costliest  sacrifice  wo  could  oflcr  on  tho 
altar  of  our  country.  Their  last  battle  is  fought,  their  last 
inarch  ended  ;  their  last  bivouac  is  made.  They  sleep  well, 
in  that  deep  slumber  from  which  no  bugle  call,  or  souud  of 
any  kind,  shall  awake  them,  until  tho  loud  reveille,  which 
shall  ct  shako,  not  the  earth  only,  but  also  heaven."  Hut 
who  can  number  tho  tears  that  flow,  or  tho  hearts  that 
break  with  longing  for  tho  sight  of  those  who  shall  return 
no  more  ?  What  eye,  save  that  which  comprehends  im- 
mciidity,  cun  mcu.-mro  a  nation'^  griuf,  as,  like  thu  foot-  worn 
soldier,  she  bows  over  tho  graves  of  her  fallen  aoua,  and 
from,  the  depth  of  her  anguish,  cries  out,  "  Such  is  tho  price 
we  pay  for  human  freedom  "  ? 

OX     A     STKETCIFEIt. 

When  our  colonel's  wife  came  to  camp  last  winter,  she 
expected  to  have  a  good  time  of  it.  Our  colonel  had  had 
his  quarters  arranged  in  tho  best  camp  stylo.  A  nice  plank 
pavement  all  around,  wherever  she  might  choose  to  walk  ; 
trees  planted  so  thickly  about  the  tent  that  you  would  think 
you  were  entering  a  natural  forest  ;  a  pretty  archway,  mado 
of  green  boughs,  at  tho  entrance,  with  the  rod  badge  of  tho 
division  in  tho  centra,  and  everything  about  tho  premises 
quite  ait,  fait.  Within  all  was  cosy  and  comfortable  ;  tho 
walls  splendidly  illuminated  with  pictures  from  Harpers' 
"Weekly  and  ITrank  Leslie's  Magazine  ;  good  board  floor  ; 
plenty  of  chairs  and  boxes,  on  which  tho  colonel's  numerous 


30O  WOMEN    OF    TZTJ3    WAR. 

friends  could  sit  around  the  capacious  fireplace,  and  gazo 
upon  the  ever  consuming,  but  never  consumed  eecesh  logs  ; 
or,  if  of  an  inquisitive  turn,  look  into  tho  little  inner  sanc 
tuary,  just  big  enough,  for  a  bed,  and  to  turn  around  in. 
So  wo  wore  all  glad  when  tho  colonel's  wife-  came  among  us, 
for  tho  presence  of  a  lady  in.  camp  is  always  welcome  ;  and 
though  wo  cannot  all  have  our  wives  to  winter  with  us,  the 
sight  of  one  seems  to  bring  homo  nearer.  Camp  lifo  is  not 
always  destitute  of  amusements,  and  last  winter  everybody 
said  it  was  very  gay.  There  were  lots  of  balls  and  recep 
tions,  and  visiting  from  ono  camp  to  another,  riding  on 
horseback  or  in  ambulances,  —  for  many  other  officers 
besides  our  colonel  had  their  wives  with  them  ;  and, 
although  wo  were  not  within  tho  charmed  circle,  wo  could 
see,  as  wo  paced  our  beat,  or  stood  on  guard,  or  lingered 
at  tho  door  of  our  hut,  a  good  deal  of  what  was  going  on. 
Wo  knew  when  our  colonel's  wife  got  her  new  riding-dress 
and  hat  from  Washington,  and  saw  her  when  she  first 
mounted  her  horse  for  a  ride,  and  often  afterwards  watched 
the  gay  cavalcade,  of  which  sho  was  one,  galloping  over 
tho  hills,  and  vowed  that  if  ever  w  this  cruel  war  is  over," 
our  nice  little  wife  should  have  just  such  a  ruling- drees  and 
hat,  and  wo  would  have  a  rido,  if  two  hordes  were  to  bo 
found  in  the  country.  So  tho  winter  was  nearly  over,  and 
our  colonel's  wife  had  enjoyed  her  share  of  whatever  amuse 
ment  the  Army  of  tho  Potomac  had  to  ouV-r.  But  thero 
was  ono  experience  sho  little  thought  to  eiieountcr  still  in 
reserve  for  her,  and  that  was,  being  carried  "  on  a  stretcher." 
It  was  brought  about  on  this  wise  :  she  had  taken  several 
rather  hard  rides  on  horseback,  to  which  she  was  not  much 


MRS.     CHARLOTTE     E.     McKAlf.  301 

accustomed,  sometimes  oil  cold,  windy  days,  aud  on  a  fust 
horse  ;  aud  being  rather  ambitious,  and  not  willing  to  give 
up  when  prudence  might  have  dictated  rest,  she  all  at  ouce, 
and  quite  contrary  to  her  plans,  found  herself  ou  tho  siuk 
list.  Being  eick  iu  camp  is  110  joke,  and  least  like  one  to 
the  lady  iu  question;  but  pains  in  tho  back  and  head,  and 
sleepless  nights  and  days,  aud  constant  nausea,  uro  stubborn 
facts,  to  which  tho  stoutest  heart  must  cry,  "I  surrender!  " 
So,  with  all  the  colonel's  good  nursing,  and  tho  doctor's 
prescriptions,  and  visits  from  sympathizing  friends,  "  she 
was  nothing  bettered,  but  rather  grow  worse.*'  And  right 
upon  this,  iiu  order  camo  for  our  division  to  move  cum  p. 
Military  orders  make  110  exceptions  ;  and  hard  as  it  might 
seem  in  this  state  of  tilings,  tho  cosy  quarters  must  bo 
evacuated,  and  new  ones  sought  in  a  camp  three  miles 
distant.  The  lady's  illness  had  reached  a  point  where, 
indeed,  it  might  bo  said,  "  tho  spider's  most  attenuated 
thread  is  cord,  is  cable,  to  tho  slender  hold  she  had  on  life," 
and  tho  slightest  jar  might  snap  the  thread,  and  then  all 
would  bo  over.  Riding  in  an  ambulanco  over  tho  rough 
roads  and  corduroy  bridges  was  an  experiment  not  in  tho 
least  desirable,  and  tho  only  resort  which  camp  afforded  waa 
a  stretcher.  Otir  stretcher-bearers  are  sufficiently  accus 
tomed  to  bearing  wounded  and  dead  men  from  tho  field, 
or  sick  men.  to  and  from  tho  hospital  ;  but  a  lady  ou  a 
stretcher  is  something  quite  unique.  Eight  men,  making 
four  reliefs,  were  detailed  to  accomplish  tho  delicate  task  ; 
aud  with  infinite  care  and  tenderness,  our  colonel's  wife 
was  laid  on  the  ominous  little  vehicle,  to  commence  her 
now  method  of  transportation.  The  eolonel  accompanied 


302  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAR. 

the  party  on  horseback,  and  six  of  tho  men  took  their  turns 
in  going  ahead  as  pioneers,  to  select  tho  smoothest  places. 
"  Is  that  a  dcud  man  ?  "  ff  O,  that  is  a  woman.  Is  she  dead,  or 
what's  the  matter  with  her?  "  These  questions  being  usked 
by  stragglers,  in  tho  hearing  of  tho  lady,  wore  not  much 
calculated  to  raise  her  spirits  and  facilitate  her  conva 
lescence. 

Tho  removal,  however,  was  accomplished  with  much  less 
disadvantage  than  was  feared  ;  and  now  that  she  is  restored 
to  health,  sho  looks  back  upon  it  as  rather  a  gay  adventure, 
and  declares  that  she  outdoes  tho  colonel  in  military  expe 
rience,  since  he,  in  all  his  three  years'  term  of  service,  has 
never  been  carried  on  a  stretcher. 

I-aiF-K    iv   THE   TENTTED   FIELO. 

"They  have  gone  —  they  havo  all  passed  by.'*  Nothing 
can  bo  seen  of  them  now  but  a  long  lino  of  flashing  bayo 
nets,  passing  closo  under  tho  brow  of  yonder  hill.  First 
went  a  few  miles  of  cavalry  ^interspersed  with  batteries 
of  artillery),  tho  rattling  of  whoso  sabres  al \vays  announces 
their  approach  before  you  hear  the  tramp  of  their  horses. 
If  you  happen  to  bo  near  them  as  they  pass,  you  will  hear 
them  jesting  in  merry  tones,  or  singing  snatches  of  rollick 
ing  songs.  They  go  out  ready  to  do  and  die  ;  and,  what 
ever  else  happens,  we  may  bo  pretty  sure  that  tho  cavalry 
will  not  disgrace  us. 

£Text  to  them  went  their  ambulances,  painfully  suggestive 
of  broken  limbs,  fearful  sabro  gashes,  and  bullet  holes 
through  tho  lungs  ;  worse  things  than  those  sometimes, 
but  wo  must  iiot  think  of  them  now.  Then  their  train  of 


MRS.     C11ARJLOTTE    E.     McKAV.  303 

baggage  and  supply  wagons,  winding  along  for  a  mile  or 
two,  uiul  this  is  tho  hist  wo  sco  of  the  cavalry. 

A  few  houra  puss  on,  and  looking  far  away,  over  the 
hills,  wo  sco  a  long,  dark  lino  in  motion  ;  and  experience 
tells  us  that  it  is  a  body  of  infantry.  As  thi!y  coino  out  of 
tho  shadow  of  the  hill,  their  bayonets  begin  to  gleam,  so 
that  now,  in  tho  sunshine,  they  look  like  a  lino  of  blazing 
light,  and  como  pouring  oil,  officers  riding  at  tho  head  of 
their  various  commands,  colors  and  battle-Hugs  waving  on 
tho  air,  soino  of  thorn  piorcod  and  torn  in.  many  places,  but 
hariio  all  the  more  proudly,  and  guarded  the  more  sacredly, 
for  that.  Presently  other  columns,  from  other  camps,  and 
winding  around  other  hilld,  come  011 ;  but  they  are  ull 
moving  in  one  direction.  Whoro  they  arc  going,  or  what 
for,  nobody  knows  at  present.  As  they  come  nearer,  you 
sco  that  many  of  them  have  attached  to  their  knapsack 
straps  tin  cups,  frying  pans,  tin  paild,  calico  pots,  and  also 
a  loaf  of  bread  on  their  bayonets.  They  seem  in  good 
spirits,  and,  like  tho  cavalry,  are  amusing  themselves  with, 
singing  and  joking. 

"  Glorious  fellows  !  '*  exclaimed  ail  officer  of  high  rank,  as 
a  part  of  his  command  was  marching  by.  He  was  thinking 
how  gallantly  they  had  behaved  on  many  a  hardly-contested 
field,  and  how  well  he  might  rely  on  thciu  to  follow 
wherever  ho  should  lead  in  future. 

"Poor  fellows  !  "  said,  in  the  same  moment,  si  woman,  in 
sympathising  tones.  Sho  was  thinking  of  fearful  sights  in 
crowded  hospitals,  cruel  wounds,  amputated  limbs,  palo 
faces,  and  brave,  faithful  hearts,  worn  out  with  excess  of 
anguish.  So  they  pasa  along  for  many  hours  ;  aud  after 


304  WOMEN    OF    TUB    WAR. 

them  come  their  trains  of  ambulances,  baggage  and  supply 
wagons,  and  lastly  a  drove  of  beeves,  proportioned  in  num 
bers  to  the  rations  they  are  to  servo.  Now,  nt  lust,  they 
are  all  gone.  The  camps  nro  like  deserted  cities,  for  they 
have  left  their  huts  and  tents  standing,  hoping  to  como  back 
to  them  in  a  abort  time.  A  few  soldiers,  unfit  fur  11  march, 
are  walking  around,  or  lying  in  their  tents  ;  hura  mid  thora 
you  may  see  a  smoke  lazily  ascending,  but  the  atmosphoro 
ia  relieved  of  that  dense  body  of  smoke  which  usually 
hauga  over  camp.  The  stillness  is  painful.  A\ro  sit  down 
mournfully,  and  wonder  whero  our  friends  are  going,  aud 
what  is  on  the  tapis  iio\v  ;  for  dear  and  noblo  souls  havo 
gone  out  to-day,  and  many  such  wo  havo  seen  go  out  to 
return  no  more.  In  our  hearts  we  pray  for  them,  and  then 
look  out  to  see  what  signs  of  the  weather,  and  hopo  it  will 
not  ruin.  At  night  wo  think  of  guerrillas.  Wo  know  that 
our  picket  line  is  thin,  and  that  a  treacherous  and  unscrupu 
lous  foe  is  always  going  about  like  a  roaring  lion,  seeking 

what    he    may  "gobble."      Our    sleep if  wo   got   any is 

light,  and  often  broken  by  anxiety.  Wo  dream  of  battle 
fields,  rebel  cavalry,  and  journeys  to  Richmond.  In  tlio 
morning  we  hear  a  distant  cannonading;  but  our  cars  have 
become  accustomed  to  tho  sound,  so  that  wo  are  not  startled 
by  it  t  it  may  bo  fighting,  or  it  may  bo  only  shelling  tho 
woods  as  they  advance.  Wo  judge  of  its  distniuo  and 
direction  by  the  sound.  Sometimes  it  seems  to  come  from 
the  right,  sometimes  from  the  left,  aud  sometimes  from 
both  directions  at  once.  It  continues,  at  intervals,  through 
the  day,  though  growing  moro  distant.  Aa  tho  day  wears 
on,  a  messenger  comes  in  from  the  front,  and  reports  our 


MH.S.      ClIAULO'l-rE     K.      Mt.KAV.  3O5 


friends.  Wo  aro  relieved  to  know  that  they  have  had  no 
fighting'  yet,  and  nro  doing  better  than  we  anticipated.  lUit 
now  a  new  canso  of  anxiety  arises  ;  for  the  weather,  which 
was  fine  when  they  marched  out,  is  changing,  and  ominous 
gust*  of  wind,  and  ruiii-l>oarhig  clouds,  force  themselves  on 
our  observation,  Wo  try  to  think  we  are  mistaken,  and 
look  oarnofitly  f«>r  patches  of  bluo  «ky,  and  gleams  of  sun 
shine;  ;  but  they  are  not  there.  Soon,  a  starless,  dismal 
night  sets  in,  with  drizzling  rmii.  O,  tlio  pitiless  storm  ! 
What  can  our  friends  do,  with  no  shelter  but  their  blankets, 
and  no  bed  but  the  soft  soil  under  them?  The  rain  scorns 
to  boat  on  our  naked  hearts,  and  wo  abandon  ourselves  to 
fearful  anxiety  ;  for  there  is  not  only  the  exposure  to  the 
weather,  but  the  danger  that,  the  ground  being  softened 
into  mud,  their  progress  will  be  obstructed,  and.  their  plans 
defeated,  or  that  the  enemy  will  gain  advantage  of  them. 
But  all  our  fears,  wo  know,  cannot  help  them  ;  so  wo  strive 
to  commit  them  to  the  care  of  that  Providence  which  rules 
over  all,  and  to  hope  for  the  best. 

The  next  morning,  going  to  the  hospital,  wo  observe  a 
new  patient,  and  are  pained  to  see  that  it  is  a  case  of 
extreme  suffering.  Tho  eyes  are  partly  closed,  ail  expres 
sion  of  mortal  anguish  is  on  his  faco,  and  the  symptoms 
of  dissolution  already  appear.  "  Whom  have  you.  here, 
nurse?"  "lie  is  u  mail  of  our  division,  ma'am,  who  wont 
on.  the  inarch,  but  fell  out  by  the  way,  and  they  sent  him 
back  in  an  ambulance.  Ho  was  very  bad  when  ho  camo  in, 
and.  has  been  growing  worse  ever  since.*' 

Tho  next  day,  the  fourth  since  the  march,  ia  clear  and 
fine.  Our  friends  return  without  fighting,  and  wo  learn 
20 


306  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAK. 

it  -was  only  a  reconnoissanco.  Tho  poor  soldier  in  tho 
hospital  is  dead,  and  wo  join  tho  littlo  escort  that  follows 
him  to  his  long  home,  thero  on  tho  hill-sido,  along  with 
many  who  went  before,  and  whoso  graves  aro  marked  by 
simple  head-boards,  bearing  the  inscription  of  their  names 
aiid  regiments.  Ilia  grave  is  prepared,  and  tho  brown 
coffin  lowered  in.  "I  am  the  resurrection  and  tho  life"  ia 
read  over  it,  a  prayer  is  said,  a  salute  fired,  and  ho  adds 
one  more  to  tho  buried  soldiers  with  whom  tho  soil  of 
Virginia  id  so  thickly  strewn.  3?oor  fellow  !  ho  was  a 
recruit,  and  this  was  his  first  and  last  march. 


THE   BLOODY   FLAG    OF   FORT    PILLOW. 

DARK  mid  damning  was  tho  net  performed  by  the 
fierce  partisan  leader  of  rebels  on  tho  14th  of  April, 
18G4.  Tho  names  of  Fort  Pillow  uiul  Aiulersoiivillo  stand 
out  in  lurid  relief  from  the  stormy  baekgroundtof  a  grout 
civil  war,  uiid  stamp  with  perpetual  infamy  tho  authors  of 
these  great  crimes  against  humanity. 

Fort  Pillow  is  a  strong  field  work,  erected  under  tho 
superintendence  of  Polk,  and  afterwards  of  Beau  regard,  oil 
tho  east  bank  of  tho  Mississippi  River,  about  fifty  miles 
above  Memphis.  It  was  designed  aa  one  of  the  defences 
of  the  Upper  Mississippi  Valley,  and  in  the  spring  of  18G2 
was  virtually  evacuated  by  tho  rebels,  in  consequence  of 
tho  Union  victories  at  Doiielson  and  Shiloh,  tho  effect 
of  which  was  to  think  all  tho  relxjl  positions  north  of  tho 
Memphis  and  Charleston  Railroad,  and  concentrate  all  tho 
forces  of  that  department  at  Corinth,  in  front  of  Grant. 
For  two  years  tho  fort  had  remained  quietly  in  possession 
of  the  Union  forces;  but  in  tho  winter  and  spring  of  1864 
the  rebel  partisan  leader  and  cavalry  general,  Forrest,  led 
a  force  of  some  six  or  seven  thousand  into  West  Tennessee. 
For  somo  time  ho  had  his  headquarters  at  Jackson,  recruit 
ing  and  remounting  his  force.  This  was  always  with  him 
a  favorite  ranging  ground.  Before  the  war  ho  had  lived 

(307) 


308  AVOMEM"    OF    TIIE     WAIt- 

at  Memphis  ami  on  <ho  river,  following1  the  cognate  and 
equally  infamous  branches  of  business,  negro-trading  ami 
river  ganililing.  He  was  the  last  and  most  revolting  speci 
men  of  that  st  vie  of  man  which  is  the  combined  effect  of 

• 

:i  roving  horder  life  and  of  slavery a  man  of  powerful 

frame  and  unflinching  nerve,  insensible  to  fatigue,  ineapahlo 
alike  of  fear  or  of  tenderness,  an  unequalled  horseman,  a 
fatal  shot,  JL  successful  speculator,  and  a  lucky  gamMcr. 

To  such  a  man  the  opportunity  afiortlcd  hy  the  outhreak 
of  the  rebellion  in  1801  was  unlimited.  A  fierce  champion 
of  slavery,  a  desperado,  and  a  rililiaii,  Avar  had  charms  for 
him.  far  beyond  the  milder  horrors  of  the  slave-yard  ami 
the  smaller  rinks  of  the  gamiiig-tahle.  He  plunged  into 
tho  seething  gulf  of  civil  strife  with  u  joy  that  only  tho 
hold  and  the  depraved  can  know,  and  hy  a  series  of  almost 
unbroken  successes,  rose  from  a  private  to  the  highest 
position  which  it  was  possible  fora  cavalry  ofiiccr  to  hold. 

The  men  he  had  drawn  around  him  were  similar  to  him 
in  depravity,  only  not  equal  in  strength  and  capacity  for 
command. 

Such  was  the  general,  and  such  tho  force,  that,  on  the 
morning  of  the  14th  of  April,  appeared  before  Fort  Pillow. 
Soon  after  daylight  tho  fight  began.  The  garrison  con 
sisted  of  not  qtiitc  six  hundred,  about  two  thirds  of  whom 
were  negroes,  and  one  half  tho  balance  were  loyal  south 
erners,  or,  :is  the  rebels  contemptuously  called  them, 
"home-made  Yankees."  Major  Booth,  of  tho  Sixth  United 
States  heavy  artillery,  was  in  command. 

About  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  while  at  the  breast 
work  aud  directing  tho  battle,  Major  Booth  received  a  ball 


TIIK     liLOOL>*T    i'JLAO     Of    If  OUT     1'ILLOW.  309 

directly  through  the  licurt,  mid  full  dead.  There  was  con 
tinuous  firing  Un  day,  Imt  no  charges,  and  tho  number  of 
the  garrison,  who  foil  was  not  over  twenty. 

About  three  in  tho  afternoon  Vo trust  sent  a  flag  of  truce, 
by  which  hostilities  were  suspended  for  near  an  hour. 
Tho  demand  which  was  sent  witli  tho  truce  was  for  uncon 
ditional  surrender.  Major  Bradford,  upon  whom  the  com 
mand,  had  devolved  after  Major  Booth  fell,  replied  that  ho 
could  not  surrender  unconditionally.  Korrest  replied  that 
he  would  give  him  twenty  minutes  to  leave  the  fort  or 
surrender. 

Meantime  the  rebel  force  had  been  advanced  furtively  so 
as  now  to  surround  tho  works  oil  three  sides  ;  and  the  lines 
awaiting  tlui  order  for  assault  were  but  a  few  feet  from 
tho  parapet  when  the  twenty  minutes  last  given  by  Forrest 
expired. 

At  this  moment  three  thousand  fiotv;o  rutfmnrt  aiming 
forward,  and,  raising  tho  hideous  cry  of  "No  quarter," 
climbed  over  tho  parapet,  and  rushed  upon  tho  garrison. 

There  was  110  more  fighting,  properly  speaking.  On  tho 
river  sido  there  \va.s  a  steep  bluff,  that  rose  directly  from 
tho  "water,  and  tho  "whole  garrison  rushed  dowu  this 
hill  towards  tho  river,  many  plunging  Into  tho  stream. 
Then  followed  a.  relentless  and  indiscriminate  butchery 
of  all  ages,  both  sexes,  and  without  reference  to  rank  or 
color. 

Tho  heart  sickens,  and  wo  turn  away  in  loathing  from 
the  horrid  recital.  Of  tho  negro  troops  hardly  0110  escaped. 
They  wcro  shot  down  like  hogs.  They  were  stabbed  and 
beaten  when  wounded.  The  sabro  was  often  plunged  into 


310  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAR. 

the  hole  mado  by  the  pistol  ball.  Somo  were  pinned  to 
the  ground  and  burned.  Somo  were  buried  alive. 

Turn  we  now  from  this  fearful  sccno  of  butchery  to 
another  that  followed  a  few  days  after,  by  no  means  cheer 
ful,  but  relieved  by  tho  play  of  nobler  sentiments,  and 
by  tho  presence  mid  heroic  words  of  a  bravo,  though 
hcark-brokeu  woman. 

We  enter  Fort  Pickering,  situated  on  a.  high  blu/T,  that 
for  miles  commands  a  view  of  tho  mighty  river  that  rolls, 
broad,  turbid,  and  swift,  below.  Tho  ruuiparts  all  around 
bristlo  with  heavy  guns.  A  regiment  of  United  States 
artillery  is  drawn  up  in  perfect  order.  Every  face  is  sober. 
A  high  and  firm  resolve  is  burning  in  many  a  dark  eye.  Six 
paces  in  front  of  tho  lino  uro  standing  fourteen  strong-built, 
hardy-looking,  brave-hearted  men.  They  huvo  no  com 
mander.  AVhat  wreck  of  Avar  is  this?  What  waif  flouting 
on  tho  stormy  ocean  of  civil  strife  ?  Wo  shall  sco  in  a 
moment.  A  lady,  clod  in  tho  deepest  mourning,  steps  for 
ward  in  front  of  these  fourteen  survivors.  Tho  silence  is 
now  full  of  solemnity  and  deep  emotion.  Many  a  bravo 
face  shows,  by  tho  quivering  lip  and  tho  moistening  cyo, 
how  the  sight  of  that  bereaved  woman  affects  them  ;  for  sho 
is  the  widow  of  Major  .Booth,  and  these  fourteen  arc  all 
that  aro  left  alive  of  the  batitalioii  ho  commanded  at  Kort 
Pillow. 

In  her  hand  sho  bears  a  regimental  flag,  torn  with  balls, 
stained  with  smoke,  and  clotted  with  human  blood.  Amid 
a  silence  that  is  broken  only  by  tho  hoarse  roar  of  the  river 
chafing  against  the  banks  below,  sho  commences  to  address 
them  ill  a  voice  low  and  sometimes  broken  with  tho  heav- 


THE  m.ooi>Y  Fr,AQ   OF  FORT  rir.rx>w.  311 

inga  of  her  mighty  sorrow,  but  whoso  slightest  codonco 
reaches  their  hearts. 

"Boys,"  sho  says,  Cf  I  havo  just  como  from  a  visit  to  tlio 
hospital  at  Mound  City.  Thcro  I  saw  your  comrades 
wounded  at  the  bloody  struggle  at  Fort  Pillow.  Thcro  I 
found  this  flag —  you  recognize  it.  Oao  of  your  commdca 
saved  it  from  the  insulting  touch  of  traitors  at  Fort  Pillow. 
I  have  given  to  my  country  all  I  had  to  give  —  my  husband. 
Such  a  gift  I  Vet  I  have  freely  given  him  for  freedom  and 
my  country.  Next  my  husband's  cold  remains,  the  dearest 
object  left  mo  in  the  world  is  this  Jltty  —  the  flag  that  onco 
waved  in  proud  dcQaiico  over  tho  works  of  Fort  Pillow. 
Soldiers,  this  flag  I  give  you,  knowing  that  you  will  ever 
remember  tho  hist  words  of  uiy  noble  husband  —  •  Never 
surrender  the  flag  to  traitors.'  " 

Colonel  Jackson  received  from  her  hand  tho  war-worn 
and  blood-stained  flag.  lie  called  upon  the  regiment  to 
receive  it  as  such  a  gift  ought  to  be  received.  Then  ho  and 
the  wholo  lino  fell  upon  their  knees,  and  solemnly  appealing 
to  tho  God  of  battles,  each  one  swore  to  avenge  their  bravo 
and  fallen  comrades,  and  never,  "  never  to  surrender  the 
flag  to  traitors." 

Tho  scene  was  0110  tho  memory  of  which  can  never  pass 
from  before  tho  eyes  of  those  who  witnessed  it.  It  was  no 
holiday  presentation,  no  crowning  of  a  May-queen.  Thcro 
stood  tho  widow  of  their  former  commander,  frcah  from  the 
gmva  of  her  hero-husband.  Abovo  them  waved  tho  old 
flag,  enriched  by  a  thousand  memories,  and  now  conse 
crated  by  tho  baptism  of  blood,  while  beside  the  spot  where 
they  stood  rolled  tho  grand  continental  river,  whoso  waters 


312  WOMEN    OF    TTTB    WAR. 

a   few   days   before   hud   been   reddened  with   the   blood    of 
thoir   comrades. 

ArVhilo  that  river  rolls  thus  grandly  to  tho  far-off  ooeau 
shall  the  deed  of  savage  bloodshed  that  was  enacted  oil  its 
banks  be  perpetuated  in  tho  memory  of  men,  and  stamp 
infamy  upon  the  name  of  the  ruffian  chief  who  thus  dis 
honored  our  common  nature. 


th 

J*> 
c- 
ro 
.f 
.f 
•n 
i- 
ir 

n 
o 
r 

f 


MRS.     MAUY    MORRIS    HUSBAND. 

Til  1C  personal  history  and  character  of  many,  ot"  both 
sexes,  who  distinguished  themselves  during  our  war, 
huvo  proved  that  loyalty  and  unsclliah  patriotism  aro  fre 
quently  hereditary.  Devotion  and  loyalty  to  country  aro 
as  often  seen  transmitted  from  siro  to  soil  us  tho  height  of 
the  figure  or  the  color  of  tho  hair.  In  a  great  number  of 
instances  tho  heroes  and  heroines  of  the  war  for  the  Union 
prove  to  he  tho  direct  descendants  of  those  who  distin 
guished  themselves  by  their  zciil,  their  courage,  or  their 
public  spirit,  in  tho  war  of  the  Revolution. 

This  remark  applies  with  peculiar  force-  to  tho  person 
whose  name  stands  at  the  head  of  this  sketch.  Olio  of  tho 
many  hundreds  whom  she  nursed  and  blessed  during  her 
long  career  03  a  hospital  matron  and  nurse,  in  speaking  of 
the  thorough  and  unostentatious  heartiness  of  her  work, 
said  the  soldiers  could  account  for  such  unselfishness  only 
from  the  fact  that  sho  is  tho  granddaughter  of  Robert 
Morris,  of  revolutionary  fame. 

Many,  liko  Mrs.  Husband,  havo  looked  upon  a  noble 
lineage  as  only  a  circumstance  that  committed  them  to 
lives  of  uncommon  labor  for  the  public,  and  constant  self- 
sacrifice,  us  proving  that  tho  blood  of  which,  thoy  are 
justly  proud  had  not  grown  ignoble  while  the  republic 

(313) 


314=  WOiTEJf    OF    THE    WAR. 

has    been    rolling    forward    iu    its    magnificent    career    of 
development. 

In  the  noble  group  of  patriotic  nurses  who  moved  about 
011  their  blessed  errands  among  the  great  throng  of  bleed 
ing  heroes  on  the  hills  of  Gettysburg,  tlio  granddaughter 
of  Robert  Morris  and  the  granddaughter  of  President 
Dwight  worked  side  by  side. 

Supplies  collected  by  the  descendants  of  General  Philip 
Schuyler  and  of  Benjamin  Franklin  wero  forwarded  at  tho 
same  time  from  different  cities.  "When  the  little  army  of 
"Washington  had  marked  its  path,  over  the  frozen  roads  to 
its  winter  quarters  by  blood  from  the  naked  feet  of  our 
revolutionary  sires,  the  grandmother  of  Mrs.  Husband 
labored  untiringly  in  public  for  their  relief. 

Feeling  that  she  was  in  a  manner  committed  to  a  life  of 
patriotic  self-sacrifice  by  the  example  of  her  ancestors,  and 
prompted  by  the  natural  kindness  of  her  heart  and  tho 
loyalty  of  her  soul,  Mrs.  Husband  was  one  of  the  earliest 
to  devote  herself  to  the  good  of  the  soldier. 

In  18G1  she  was  tho  librarian  and  a  tri-weckly  visitor  of 
the  hospital  at  tho  corner  of  Twenty-second  and  "Wood 
Streets,  in  Philadelphia.  Tho  character  and  excellence  of 
that  work  are  fully  described  in  tho  memoir  of  Airs.  Mary 
Brady,  who  at  the  same  time  was  engaged  in  a  similar  work 
in  tho  great  hospital  in  "West  Philadelphia. 

In  tho  summer  of  18G2  our  national  affairs  assumed  a 
darker  phase  than  ever  before,  and  tho  demands  of  a  blced- 
iug  and  endangered  country  were  brought  homo  as  earnestly 
to  the  self-sacrificing  spirit  of  women  as  to  tho  courage  and 
patriotism  of  men.  About  the  first  of  July,  Dr.  Hexon 


MRS.     MARY     MORRIS     IIUSBANT>.  315 

was  sent  on  a  hospital  transport,  from  Philadelphia,  to 
bring  away  a  load  of  the-  sick  from  Harrison's  Landing*, 
and  Mrs.  Husband  went  with  him.  From  this  time  till 
the  close  of  the  war,  and  tho  disbanding  of  the  regiments, 

in  June,    1865,  a  period  of  three   years,  Airs.    Husband 

was  constantly  in  service,  and,  for  a  larger  portion  of  the 
time,  laboriously  occupied  'in  a  great  number  of  different 
hospitals,  working  very  quietly,  not  for  tho  praise  of  men, 
but  for  the  love  of  God,  and  in  earnest  sympathy  with 
suffering  patriotism. 

She  made  three  trips  to  Harrison's  Landing,  and  labored 
in  the  manner  elsewhere  fully  described  in  an  account  of 
the  hospital  transport  service.  In  the  latter  part  of  August 
she  too.k  temporary  charge  of  the  National  Hospital  at 
Baltimore,  while  the  matron,  who  was  sick,  was  recovering, 
and  saw  its  wards  filled  and  overflowing  with  tho  groaning 
and  mutilated  results  of  the  second  battle  of  Hull  Run,  and 
the  fights  of  Chautilly  and  South  Mountain.  After  two  or 
three  weeks  thus  spent  in  scenes  of  horror  and  agony, 
striving  by  constant  labors  to  assuage  a  part  of  such  im 
mense  suffering,  and  to  rob  tho  amputation-room  of  some 
of  its  terrors,  tho  matron  whoso  place  she  was  filling  re 
sumed  her  former  duties,  and  Mrs.  Husband  proceeded  at 
once  to  Smoketowii  Hospital,  where  some  of  tho  sufferers 
from  the  great  field  of  Aiitiotam  were  collected.  Here  sho 
remained  two  months,  and  labored,  not  in  any  position 
of  command  or  superiority,  but  doing  tho  very  things  that 
others  had  left  undone,  and  given  over  to  some  utterly 
unselfish  and  truly  noble  character,  like  Mrs.  Husband. 
The  actual  sufferers,  who  were  in  tho  wards  which  she 


316  WOMEN    OF    TUB    WAR. 

mostly  visited,  who  felt  bor  soothing  presence  by  their 
bodsidea,  and  heard  her  voice  speaking;  cheer  to  the  de 
sponding,  or  reading  the  words  of  the  Saviour  to  those 
who  had  ouly  his  arm  beneath  them,  nil  human  skill 
having  failed  them,  they  can  give  tho  most  uppiropritito  und 
valuable  testimonials  as  to  the  character  and  spirit  of  her 
work,  and  tho  deep  impression  it  made  on  tlioso  who  were 
so  fortunate  as  to  enjoy  her  attentions.  Tho  following  id 
what  a  Massachusetts  soldier  says  of  her  :  — 

"I  arrived  at  the  Smoke  town  General  Hospital  on  tho 
day  the  army  moved  into  Virginia  under  McOlcllau  for  tho 
last  timo.  Tho  larger  part  of  tho  hospital  was  just  estab 
lished,  and  a  great  number  of  tho  sick  of  tho  army  were 
sent  there  that  day  and  night. 

"When  I  saw  Mrs.  Husband  for  tho  first  time,  I  was  im 
pressed  by  the  very  capable  manner  in  which  she  labored. 
All  the  patients  that  coiild  speak  wero  loud  in  her  praises, 
and  those  who  wero  too  sick  to  talk  looked  their  gratitude 
and  appreciation.  For  weeks  and  mouths  sho  labored  from 
an  early  hour  in  the  morning  till  late  at  night,  going  from 
tent  to  tent,  with  always  a  cheerful  word  for  all,  never 
losing  for  a  moment  that  perfect  evenness  of  temper,  and 
that  admirable  knowledge  of  the  wants  of  tho  sick,  with 
which  only  a  woman  is  endowed.  It  was  my  good  fortune 
to  witness  on  her  part  several  acts  of  heroism,  one  of  which 
I  will  mention. 

"A  Now  York  soldier,  a  mero  boy,  sick  with  fever,  was 
discovered  also  to  have  diphtheria  in  its  most  malignant 
form.  Ho  was  at  onco  removed  to  a  tont,  put  up  for  tho 
purpose,  in  a  distant  part  of  tho  grove,  away  from,  all 


MRS.     MAHV    MOItltIS     IIUSnANl>.  317 

others,  and  a  soldier  detailed  as  nurse,  who,  ho\vovcr, 
fearing-  tho  disease,  neglected  him.  Knowing  this,  Mrs. 
Husband  took  charge  of  tho  patient,  staying  every  moment 
that  could  ho  spared  from  the  rust  of  tho  sick,  for  several 
days  nnd  nights,  tenderly  caring  for  him  liko  a  saint, 
reading  to  him  from  tho  Testament,  and  taking  his  dying 
message  for  his  mother,  that  r  sho  must  not  inonrii  for 
him,  for  he  was  willing  ami  ready  to  die.' 

"Hundreds  of  men,  scattered  all  over  tho  states,  will 
always  remember  and  revere  her.  In  her  labors  she 
always  sought  such  places  as  were  farthest  from  ready 
help,  and  where  they  would  bo  of  tho  most  use,  never 
seeming  to  care  for  her  own  comfort,  disregarding  tho  re 
quirements  of  her  own  health,  never  leaving  her  self- 
imposed  duties  till  sickness  and  exhaustion  drovo  her 
home  for  rest  and  quiet,  mid  while  so  resting,  preparing 
supplies  to  be  taken  to  flio  army  as  soon  as  sho  was  again 
able  to  resume  her  duties." 

Another  of  tho  Aiitictam  sufferers,  who  was  so  fortunate 
as  to  be  under  Mrs.  Husband's  care,  expresses  his  admira 
tion  and  gratitude  in  the  lines  transcribed  below.  What 
star  or  badge,  given  by  a  monarch  to  a  subject,  what  order 
of  nobility,  is  so  true  and  rich  a  testimonial  of  personal 
worth  as  letters  like  these  ! 

"  I  was  sick  with  tho  typhoid  fever  in  tho  fall  of  1862. 
As  soon  as  I  coiild  bo  moved  I  was  taken  to  tho  Aiitictam 
Field  Hospital,  wlicro  I  met  Mrs.  Husband.  Uoforo  I  was 
taken  to  tho  hospital  I  was  insano  for  a  week,  so  that  whou 
I  arrived  there  I  was  so  completely  exhausted,  so  noar  my 
grave,  that  I  have  only  an  indistinct  recollection  of  much 


318  I   WOMEN    OF    THE    AVAR. 

that  transpired.      I  was  under  her  caro  for  six  weeks,  when 
I  was  removed  to  another   hospital.      I  was   confined    to   my 
bed  nearly  all  the  time  I  was   under  her  care,  so  that  I  had 
110  opportunity  of  knowing1   much  personally  with  regard  to 
her,  outside    of  my   own    tent.      As  I   owe    my   recovery  to 
her  exertions,  I  am  happy  to  bo  able  to  testify  to  her  never- 
tiring-   zeal    in  the    care    of  the  sick   and    wounded   soldiers, 
thousands  of  whom  would,  I  know,  gladly  acknowledge  the 
kindness    they    met    while    under    her    care.       She    always 
seemed  to  me  to  be  happy  only  when  engaged  in  alleviating 
the  sufferings  of  the  soldiers,  over  whom    she  watched  with 
all   the   tenderness    and    love    of    a  mother,   many  of  whom 
called  her  by  no  other  *uiinc.       Her  presence  always  seemed 
to  bring  sunshine  even  to  the   most  disheartened.       Her  face 
always  wore  a  smile  so  sweet  that  I  forgot  my  pain  when  in 
her  presence.      She    had    ever   a  kind  word    for   every  one, 
and     was    always     pleased     to    lend    a    listening    car   and    a 
sympathizing  heart  to  the  thousand    and    one    little   troubles 
and    complaints    which    the    sick    maii'd    brain    continually 
conjures   up.       She   seemed    to    consider  the    soldiers  as   her 
children,  and  I  know   not    Low  a  mother   could   watch   over 
her    own    sons    with     more    tender    solicitude.        She     never 
appeared    to   think    of    herself  —  her    thoughts   all   centred 
on   the    sick   or  wounded   soldier.      I   have   known,    her,    on 
many    a   winter's    night,    when   the   storms   wero    raging,   to 
go    around    two    or    three    times   to    the  bedsides    of  those 
whoso    lives     seemed     hanging     by    a   thread,    to    watch     tlio 
progress   of  the  disease,  and  see  that  no  sleepy  nurse  had 
neglected    to    properly    care    for    them.      She    has    told    me 
many  times  of  sleepless  nights  she  has  passed,  thinking  of 


MRS.     MAR\T    MOUltIS     HUSBAJMD.  319 

somo  sick  one,  whom  she  did  not  expect  would  live  from 
hour  to  hour.  She  wua  only  too  happy  to  bo  of  service  to 
anyone  in  trouble.  When  the  array  was  encamped  at  Brandy 
Stiit ion,  in  tlio  winter  of  1 863— '64,  sho  was  tho  matron  of  a 
division  hospital,  and  when  not  engaged  in  tho  earo  of  the 
sick,  sho  used  to  visit  the  various  guard-houses  in  the  corps 
(tho  Third),  and  interest  herself  iu  the  coses  of  those  con 
fined  there,  many  of  them  unjustly,  for  tho  soldiers  well 
know  there  is  but  little  justice  iu  a  military  court-martial. 
I  visited  her  frequently,  and  on  one  of  those  occasions  I 
learned  the  following.  She  found  a  soldier  sentenced  to  be 
shot.  Satisfied,  from  what  she  could  learn  concerning  his 
case,  that  he  was  innocent  of  the  charges  brought  against 
him,  sho  set  herself  to  work  to  save  his  life.  Failing  to 
make  any  impression  at  brigade,  division,  and  corps  head 
quarters,  she,  nothing  daunted,  carried  her  case  to  army 
headquarters,  where  she  met  only  with  a  repulse,  oven 
from  the  kind-hearted  Meade.  Not  yet  discouraged,  sho 
resolved  to  make  one  more  attempt,  determined  to  save 
that  young  man's  life.  Sho  went  to  Washington,  and 
finally  carried  her  point.  This  is  but  one  instance  of  many 
similar  acts  ;  but  I  cannot  recollect  tho  facts  of  others  with 
sufficient  accuracy  tq  mention  them." 

The  winter  of  1862— *G3  was  to  our  army  what  tho  winter 
at  Valley  Forgo  was  to  Washington's  army.  It  was  a  time  of 
uncertainty  and  disaster,  of  suffering  and  deep  anxiety.  Ac 
tive  operations  wero  kept  up  by  Burnsidc,  though  with  no 
fortunate  results,  till  January.  So  much  exposure  and  hard 
service,  and  the  bloody  conflict  of  Fredericksburg,  threw 
upon  the  hands  of  the  nurses  a  largo  number  of  sick  and 


32O  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAR. 

wounded.  The  army  lay  at  Fulmauth,  on  tho  north  sida 
of  the  Rappahanuock.  Hero  Mrs.  Husband  wont,  and 
labored  constantly  all  winter.  She  took  charge,  as  matron 
or  lady  superintendent,  of  the  General  Hospital  of  the 
Third  division  in  General  Sykcs's  corps. 

One  very  important  use  of  such  a  person  as  Mrs.  Hus 
band  at  a  field  hospital  i.s  the  moral  cheer,  the  hopefulness 
and  refinement,  that  her  presence  inspires.  After  the 
patient  is  ahlo  to  leave  his  bed,  a  long  interval  occurs 
before  his  health  is  confirmed  so  as  to  render  him  lit  for 
the  field.  During  this  time  he  is  naturally  Ion'  in  spirits, 
unoccupied,  and  liable  to  fall  a  prey  to  melancholy,  and 
become  permanently  demoralised.  This  is  particularly  the 
case  in  an  army  like  ours,  where  every  man  thinks  for  him 
self,  and  the  mistake  or  incompetence  of  a  commanding 
general  is  understood  and  commented  on  over  every  camp 
lire,  in  every  hospital,  and  by  every  soldier,  from  tho 
major-general  to  tho  drummer  boy.  Tho  great  demand  at 
such  a  time  is  for  wholesome  and  suitable  amusement. 
Mrs.  Husband  was  unusually  apt  and  skilful  in  meeting 
tho  Avan t. 

At  all  times,  and  in  the  whole  of  her  hospital  experience, 
she  was  attentive  to  her  convalescents,  as  well  as  to  the 
very  sick,  and  to  those  who  must  die.  She  fitted  up  her 
tont  or  her  office  with  books  and  pictures,  60  as  to  make  it 
cheerful  and  home-like.  Sho  had  facilities  for  innocent 
games,  writing  materials,  and  amusing  books,  so  that  the 
soldier  forgot  about  himself  and  tho  homo  for  which  he 
had  so  constantly  longed.  In  tho  enjoyment  of  the  hour 
he  gained  strength,  and  was  soon  fit  to  take  up  his  sword 
or  musket. 


MUS.     MARY    MORRIS    HUSBAND.  321 

Spring  caxno  at  length*  and  Hooker  moved  acroaa  tho 
river,  while  everybody  connected  with  hospitals  had  enough 
to  do  in  taking  care  of  tho  eight  thousand  wounded  at 
Chancellors  villa.  This  labor  continued  throughout  tho 
month  of  May  and  for  a  part  of  Juno,  and  wua  very 
arduous.  Nearly  two  thousand  of  our  wounded  had  been 
left  on  tho  field,  in  the  hands  of  tho  enemy,  who,  having 
eight  or  ten  thousand  himself  to  care  for,  neglected  ours. 
When  these  poor  fellows  were  brought  in,  under  a  flag  of 
truce,  from  the  18th  to  tho  21st  of  May,  tho  accumulation 
of  misery  and  suffering  was  such  as  was  hardly  equalled 
during  tho  whole  war.  Some  died  in  tho  ambulances. 
Others  could  bo  seen,  tearing  off  the  dressing  of  their 
wounds,  and  holding  tho  mutilated  stumps  over  tho  side 
of  tho  conveyance,  to  assuage  tho  burning"  pain  by  tho  con 
tact  of  fresh  air.  Mortification  and  gangrene  were  common. 
But  medical  and  sanitary  supplies  were-  quite  abundant. 
Tho  organization  was  excellent,  and  before  many  weeks  the 
groves  on  tho  hill-aides,  above  Potomac  Creek,  began  to 
look  cheerful,  to  resound  with  tho  familiar  songs  ot  tho 
camp,  and  tho  talk  of  cheerful  and  hopeful  convalescents. 
Her  duties  hero  \vero  principally  in  tho  fluid,  hospital  of  tho 
Third  division,  Third  corps,  whore  she  labored  with  tho 
constancy,  devotion,  and  kindness  which  distinguished  her 
service  everywhere.  By  tho  middle  of  June  these  hospitals 
were  all  broken  up,  and  tho  whole  army  was  in.  eager  pursuit 
of  I-eo,  who  was  now  in  tho  full  tide  of  his  invasion, 
scouring  tho  fields  of  Pennsylvania,  and  threatening  tho 
national  capital  and  the  border  cities.  For  a  few  days 
Mrs.  Husband  lingered  in  the  hospitals  of  Alexandria  and. 
21 


322  WO3IEN    Of    TIIB    WAR. 

"Washington,  awaiting  news  from  tho  front,  where  events 
•were  now  culminating  doily  to  tho  grand  national  tragedy, 
which,  on  tho  first  days  of  July,  mado  Gettysburg  ono 
of  tho  great  names  in  American  history,  ono  of  tho  great 
names  in  tho  annals  of  tho  world. 

On  tho  4th  she  was  on  tho  bloody  field,  and  labored  con 
stantly  till  all  tho  field  hospitals  wcro  broken  up,  and  tho 
more  serious  cases  Avero  removed  to  tho  cities  near  by,  or 
to  the  General  Hospital,  which  was  established  near  tho 
town,  and  which  was  in,  operation  till  in  December,  when 
the  last  ambulance  of  mutilated  men  started  for  Pittsbtirg. 
She  remained  at  homo  for  a  few  weeks  after  all  the  worst 
cases  were  mado  comfortable,  but  returned  to  tho  General 
Hospital  in  response  to  numerous  and  urgent  letters  from 
"her  bo3rs "  who  were  there,  and  longed  for  her  kindly 
presence  and.  chocrful  voice. 

In  the  fall  of  18 03  her  attention  was  aroused  by  a  very 
painful  and  alarming  instance  occurring  in  tho  circle  of  her 
most  intimate  associates,  to  tho  gross  and  terrible  injustice 
that  may  bo  doiio  by  courts  martial  acting  \vith  undue  luiste, 
and  having  their  mandates  promptly  executed. 

From  that  time  till  the  Avar  ended,  jNIrs.  Husband  had  no 
equal  in  the  noble  corps  of  volunteer  army  workers  iu  that 
peculiar  and  difficult  liuo  of  usefulness. 

Of  fiuo  presence,  accustomed  from  girlhood  to  tho  quiet, 
but  polished  and  impressive  manners  of  the  best  circles  of 
Philadelphia,  and  with  rnueh  practical  familiarity  with  tho 
forms  and  documents  of  legal  proceeding,  she  had  im 
portant  advantages  iu  her  favor.  Caso  after  case  came  to 
her  .knowledge. of  young  incu  who  liad  been  found  guilty 


MRS.   MAIMT  MOiiius  IIUSBAXD.  323 

of  desertion  and  sentenced  to  bo  shot,  under  circumstances 
that  would  havo  made  their  sentence,  if  executed,  a  palpa- 
blo  murder.  Sho  undertook  these  cases,  one  after  another, 
going"  to  tho  various  brigade,  division,  corps,  and  depart 
ment  commanders,  and,  if  unsuccessful  hero,  seeking  and 
gaining  an  interview  with  tho  Secretary  of  War,  and  finally, 
having  tho  ear  of  that  great,  patient,  kind-h carted  presi 
dent,  Avho  was  never  too  tired,  never  too  busy,  and  never 
too  firmly  resolved  to  bo  unable  to  give  a  full  and  thought 
ful  hearing  to  tiny  woman  begging  him  to  spare  life. 

Once,  and  only  once,  sho  was  met  with  a  little  coldness 
oil  tho  part  of  tho  executive.  In  her  disinterested  xoul, 
she  had  undertaken  several  cases  at  tho  same  time,  and 
having  all  tho  proofs  and  affidavits  in  file,  awaited  her  turn 
to  speak  with  jM"r.  T^incoln.  She  began  by  mentioning  tho 
first  caso  on  her  docket.  Mr.  I^iiicoln  glanced  at  tho  pack- 
ago  in  her  hand,  and  asked  if  all  those  papers  were  suits  for 
pardon.  She  said  they  wore.  lie  replied  that  it  was  too 
much  of  a  good  thing,  and  denied  her  a  hearing.  I^ut, 
changing  her  tactics,  and  approaching  him  differently,  she- 
drew  his  attention  to  each  case,  and  in  most  of  them 
secured  the-  exercise  of  his  clemency. 

"Whenever  she-  went  to  tho  army,  one  of  tho  first  places 
to  which  she  sought  access  was  tho  guard-house.  Tho 
condition  of  many  sho  found  there  awaiting  sentence,  or 
awaiting  trial,  was  sometimes  most  pitiful.  They  had, 
perhaps,  been  arrested  months  before,  when  tho  weather 
was  hot,  and  summer  clothing  appropriate  ;  now  they  were 
shivering  on  tho  damp  ground,  without  a  fire,  and  clothed 
with  perhaps  a  thin  cotton  shirt,  under  a,  ragged  and  thread- 


324  WOMEN    Of    TIIK    WAR. 

.bare  coat.  One  poor  youth  she  found  thus  wretched  and 
shivering,  whom  sho  had  known  in  Philadelphia,  lie  was 
under  sentence  of  death  for  desertion,  and  would  have  been 
taken  out  and  shot  upon  his  coffin  within  a  few  days,  unless 
some  one  had  become  interested  in  his  case.  Sho  at  once 
sought  an  interview  with  the  corps  commander,  and  asked 
him,  before  that  boy  was  executed,  to  talk  with  him  for  five 
minutes,  and  see  whether  he  had  any  clear  knowledge  of 
the  duty  of  :i  soldier,  or  what  constitutes  desertion.  The 
general  did  so,  and  in  three  or  four  questions  to  the  un 
fortunate  youth  found  him  of  such  mental  capacity  that 
execution  would  have  been  a  judicial  murder,  and  at  once 
ordered  his  release. 

Ky  acts  like  this,  repeated  again  and  again  during  the 
three  years  of  her  army  life,  she  did  much  to  relievo  the 
iron  severity  of  martial  law,  and  literally  drew  upon  her 
head  the  blessings  of  many  who  were  ready  to  perish.  * 

In  the  month  of  December,  1863,  about  the  time  of 
Meado's  campaign  of  Mine  Kuii,  Mrs.  Husband  went  down 
to  Brandy  Station,  where  the  principal  hospitals  were  situ 
ated,  nnd  there  labored,  with  untiring  assiduity,  until  April, 
1864,  when,  by  General  Grant's  order,  all  females  were 
removed  from  the  army.  Here  she  saw  a  great  variety  of 
service,  some  of  which  was  exceedingly  laborious,  and  coii- 
iieeted  with  grout  hardships. 

In  her  correspondence  with  the  Ladies'  Aid  Society,  from 
whom  she  received  constant  supplies,  we  find  numerous 
interesting  paragraphs. 

February  15,  1864,  sho  writes,  "It  is  very  difficult  fpr 
me  to  write  ;  my  tent  is  most  uncomfortable.  For  two 


MRS.     MAUY    MORRIS    HU8BAXD.  325 

days  I  could  not  havo  a  fire  in  consequence  of  smoke.  This 
morning  early  was  very  pleasant,  but  I  had  not  more  thau 
commenced  writing,  when  a  wind  springs  np,  my  tent  fills 
with  smoke  and  ashes,  and  fairly  drives  mo  out.  Wind 
increases.  I  venture  back,  and  find  my  smoke-pipe  down, 
aud  smoke  unendurable.  After  vain  efforts  to-  keep  it  iu 
place,  I  remove  the  fire,  open  and  air  the  tent,  and  again 
essay  to  write  ;  but  it  is  a  perfect  hurricane  :  tin  cups,  nut 
meg  gruters,  clothing,  and  papers  uro  driven  about,  and  the 
tent  threatens  to  follow  suit  ;  so  I  forsake  it  again,' and  go  to 

take  some  tapioca  jelly which  I  made,   fortunately,  when 

my  fire  would  burn  —  to  a  wick  lieutenant,  one  of  General 
Carr*s  staff,  who  is  threatened  with  diphtheria.  I  Imd  in 
tended  it  for  two  regimental  hospitals,  but  cannot  reach 
them  to-day.*' 

Again,  on  February  18,  sho  writes,  "  An  hour  since  I 
was  seated  comfortably  in  my  tent,  writing  you  a  full 
account  of  visits  I  have  been  paying  regimental  hospitals, 
when  I  heard  a  cry,  aud  I  saw  through  my  tent  a  bright 
light.  I  rushed  out  to  behold  the  adjoining  one  in  flames. 
oMiiio  was  smoking  as  the  ropes  were  cut,  and  it  lowered, 
trunk,  bed,  &c.,  removed,  and  everything  scattered.  I 
believe  that  nothing  is  lost  ;  but  my  papers,  letters,  journal, 
and  memoranda  were  blowing,  about." 

A  few  days  later  she  writes,  "  I  havo  been  much  inter 
ested  in  G.  B.,  in  the  Fourteenth  New  Jersey  Hospital.  My 
attention  was  called  to  him  by  the  surgeon,  who  told  mo 
he  was  sinking  rapidly  from  chronic  diarrhoea  and  depres 
sion  of  spirits,  in  consequence  of  his  arrest  for  desertion. 
Ho  was  brought  from  the  guard-house  to  the  hospital.  I 


r 
32G  W03LEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

visited  thcro  again  last  Saturday,  and  tho  surgeon  and 
chaplain  besought  mo  to  try  for  furlough  or  discharge  for 
him,  as  nothing  but  tho  hope  of  reaching  homo  could  savo 
him.  They  had  been  to  some  of  tho  authorities  unsuccess 
fully,  and  feared  tho  immediate  cilect  when,  he  should  bo 
told  that  they  could  give  him  no  hope.  I  formed  my 
plans  ;  visited  him,  and  cheered  him  so  much  that  thcro 
Avas  a  visible  improvement  next  morning,  when  I  walked  a 
mile  and  a  half  to  tell  him  all  was  going  on  well,  and  in. 
train.  The  poor  boy's  eyes  brightened.  Said  he,  *  How 
caii  I  ever  pay  you?  How  can  I  ever  thank  you?'  " 

March  3,  sho  writes,  "I  will  give  you  an  account  of 
to-day's  work,  and  each  day  id  much  tho  aamo.  Itiso  at 
six  o'clock  ;  make  my  tiro  ;  whilst  dressing,  boil  chocolate, 
make  tea.  My  toast  for  the  patients  is  brought  mo  from 
tho  kitchen  ;  I  butter  and  soften  it ;  poach  eggs  for  some, 
and  stew  potatoes  for  the  rest;  arrange  on  plates,  and  send 
to  tho  wards.  Mako  milk  punch  and  egg-nog,  a  tapioca 
pudding,  corn  starch,  and  blane-mange  ;  visit  each  patient, 
tho  surgeon,  and  kitchen ;  give  directions  for  beef  tea, 
soup,  t&c.  ;  stew  tomatoes  on  my  own  stovo  ;  mash  and 
prepare  potatoes  for  dinner.  Afternoon,  go  to  tho  station 
to  market ;  buy  oysters,  eggs,  and  butter;  stop  at  hoad- 
cmartcrs  and  see  medical  director  of  division  about  a  cow 
which  was  promised  us,  —  hopo  we  may  get  it;  returned 
and  amused  and  entertained  a  couple  of  convalescents  in  my 
tent  for  an  hour  ;  then  buttered  toast,  soaked  crackers,  and 
arranged  tho  plates  to  suit  tho  cases,  with  peaches,  jolly, 
and  corn  starch;  visited  tho  wards;  found  II.,  our  most 
dangerous  case,  suffering;  heated  whiskey,  and  applied 


MRS.    MARY    M01UII3    HUSBAND.  327 

flannels,  also  a  bottle  of  hot  water  to  his  feet ;  wrote  a  letter 
for  him  to  his  family,  and  finish  my  day's  work  by  writing 
to  you,  stopping  now  and  then  to  stir  fruit  which  I  am 
stewing.  Day  before  yesterday  I  visited  the  first  division 
guard-house.  Some  now  ones  have  been  brought  in— — 
thirty-two  there  in  all  —  most  of  them  in  want  of  stock- 

0 

ings.  I  distributed  some,  and  will  see  them  again  in  a  few 
days.  How  the  poor  fellows  gathered  around  me,  glad  to 
receive  a  few  words  of  sympathy  I  " 

IV  fa  re:  h  />.  "  l*oor  It.  is  gone  to  a  better  world.  Ho  was 
a  Christian,  and  leaves  neither  wifo  nor  parent  to  mourn 
him." 

The  heart  that  prompts  such  labor  as  this,  day  after  day, 
for  months,  can  have  110  common  interest  in  the  suffering 
soldier,  and  deserves  all  the  aid  she  could  have  in  her  self- 
denying  work,  and  all  the  praise  that  such  largc-heurted 
charity  so  abundantly  merits. 

Tho  order  of  Grant  expelling  all  females  from  the  army 
lines  was  issued  on  the  15th  of  April,  and  Mrs.  Husband 
enjoyed  a  brief  visit  to  her  homo  in  Philadelphia. 

Tu'o  weeks  after,  Grant  advanced  across  the  Ivappa- 
baiiuock  and  the  Rapidau,  and  from,  the  5th  to  tho  12th  of 
JMay  had  hard  lighting  every  day  on  some  part  of  his  lino, 
and  most  of  tho  tiuie  what  amounted  to  a  general  engage 
ment.  His  force  was  large,  but  it  suffered  fearful  losses. 
It  was  during  those  battles  of  tho  Wilderness  that  John 
Sedgwick,  that  soldier,  true  and  bravo,  met  his  fate,  and 
somewhere  in  tlioso  gloomy  and  intricate  pino  forests,  that 
tho  iioblo  old  hero  and  patriot  General  Wadsworth  fell, 
and  was  buried  by  stranger  hands  in  an  unknown  grave. 


328  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAB. 

Mrs.  Husband  was  among  tho  first  to  offer  her  services  in 
behalf  of  tho  great  number  of  wounded,  that  made  tho 
war-worn  old  town  of  Fredericksburg  one  great  hospital. 
As  she  went  forward  to  labor  there,  she  met  tho  funeral 
cortdgo  that  was  bringing  the  body  of  Sedgwick  to  tho  rear. 
Remaining  there  till  about  tho  first  of  June,  she  wont 
around  to  the  Peninsula,  where  her  army  labors  began  two 
years  before,  and,  touching  at  Port  Royal,  went  on,  and 
was  actively  engaged  in  tho  groat  hospitals  established  at 
White  House  and  City  Point. 

At  White  House  she  had  charge  of  tho  low  diet  for  tho 
whole  of  tho  Sixth  corps,  which  had  suffered  very  heavily 
in  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor.  At  City  Point  she  was  for 
some  time  in  charge  of  tho  diet  of  the  Second  division  of 
Hancock's  corps,  and  made  a  visit  to  the  front,  to  tho  Third 
Corps  Hospital,  where  the  boys,  who  had  so  many  of  them 
been  under  her  care  when  sick,  gave  her  a  hearty  welcome. 
At  City  Point  she  eventually  resumed  her  old  and  favorite 
line  of  usefulness,  and  took  wards  to  visit.  At  times, 
between  three  and  four  hundred  patients  lay,  for  hour  after 
hour,  011  their  narrow  cots,  awaiting,  as  tho  one  bright  event 
of  X3ach  weary  day,  her  arrival  at  their  bedside,  in  her 
regular  and  blessed  round  of  mercy.  She  modified  her 
dress  so  as  to  move  without  inconvenience  up  tho  narrow 
alleys  that  divided  the  rows  of  cots,  and  made  herself  a 
great  apron,  with  a  row  of  deep  pockets,  which  wero 
several  times  each  day  filled  as  she  made  her  round. 
Almost  every  patient  received  some  little  thing  or  other 
from  those  deep  and  roomy  receptacles.  For  one  she  had 
an  apple,  for  another  a  newspaper,  for  another  a  pair  of 


MRS.     MARY*    MORRIS    ITTJSBAXTX  329 

stockings.  At  this  cot  she  loft  a  Testament,  at  tho  next  a 
handkerchief,  and  smiles,  pleasant  words,  and  hopefulness 
everywhere. 

One  of  tho  soldiers,  who  lay  very  sick,  and  felt  his  hopes 
rise  whenever  she  approached  his  cot  in  her  daily  rounds, 
thus  describes  her  service,  and  tho  effect  of  her  visits  :  — 

**  I  can  never  forget  her  kindness  to  mo.  Her  untiring 
devotion  to  tho  sick  and  wounded  soldier  won  tho  hearts  of 
all.  Sho  was  indeed  a  mother  to  us.  Night  and  day  she 
was  always  at  her  post,  ever  ready  to  relievo  tho  sufferings 
of  our  bravo  boys. 

**  I  have  no  doubt  sho  saved  tho  lives  of  many  by  her 
skill  in  dressing  wounds,  and  her  unceasing  attention.  No 
wifo  or  mother  could  have  been  more  devoted.  Tho  daily 
visit  of  that  good  woman  to  our  tent  was  tho  0110  pleasant 
feature  of  my  hospital  life.  Sho  was  always  cheerful,  and 
had  a  kind  word  for  us  all.  Few  women  sacrificed  so  much 
for  tho  good  cause-  as  Mrs.  Husband  did  in  leaving  her 
family  and  homo,  and  undergoing  all  tho  hardships  of  a 
camp  lifo." 

This  lifo    in    tho    hospitals  was  continued   till   May,  1865, 

when,  Richmond  having  been  evacuated,  and  Leo  captured, 

xtho    hospitals    grew   thin,  and    began    to    bo  dismantled,  and 

tho  heroines  as  well  as  tho  heroes  of  tho  war  could  receive 

honorable    discharges. 

In  the  early  part  of  May,  as  tho  army  camo  through 
Richmond,  on  its  way  to  ^Vashington  and  home,  Mrs. 
Husband  went  up  from  City  Point  with  a  quantity  of 
supplies  which  had  been  sent  to  hospitals,  but  which  for 
tunately  wcro  no  longer  needed  there.  Stopping  at  Man- 


330  WOMEJJ    OF    T1ZE    WAU. 

Chester,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  from  Richmond, 
she  had  the  pleasure  of  distributing,  with  her  own  hands, 
the  bounties  which  u.  generous  people  hud  sent  her,  to 
tho  foot-sore,  weary,  and  voracious  boys  of  Hancock's 
corps. 

On  the  Gth,  in  Richmond,  she  had  tho  supremo  satisfac 
tion  of  seeing*  almost  tho  whalo  army,  with  whom  she  had 
labored  so  constantly  from  its  organization,  march  in 
triumph  through  the  rebel  capital. 

Nor  was  she  an  obscure  witness  of  tho  grand  pageant. 
Tho  soldiers  of  tho  Second, Third,  and.  Sixth  army  corps 
were  almost  as  familiar  with  her  face  and  figure  as  they 
were  with  Hancock  or  Sickles,  or  Meado  himself.  As  the 
regiments  passed  the  window  whcro  she  stood,  the  boys 
would  pass  the  word  down  tho  line,  "There's  Mother  Hus 
band  !  "  And  cheer  after  cheer,  and  shout  after  shout, 
ascended  from  tho  ranks  of  stalwart  and  brawny  fellows, 
beside  whose  hospital  cots  her  form  had  so  often  stood. 
It  was  an  ovation  in  which  she  might  justly  fool  a  genuine 
and  honest  pride. 

That  popularity  was  not  tho  reflection  of  another's  fame. 
It  was  an  outburst  of  unfeigned  gratitude  and  real  admira 
tion,  which  so  many  of  them  had  long  felt  for  a  noble  and 
accomplished  woman,  whoso  patriotism,  and  humanity  alono 
had  impelled  her,  for  year  after  year,  to  follow  up  tho  march 
of  our  armies,  on.  her  ministry  of  love  ;  to  devote  herself 
to  tho  welfare  of  suffering  patriots  with  as  much  tenderness 
as  though  they  had  been  in  fact  all  her  boys  ;  to  know 
nothing  of  homo  and  its  sacred  comforts  as  long  as  one 
lonely  or  desponding  soldier  was  languishing  in  a  hospital 
ward. 


MRS.     MART    MORRIS     HUSBAND.  331 

Touched  with  this  involuntary  tribute,  and  full  of  gen 
erous  admiration  for  those  \vho  had  s tillered  so  much  and 
accomplished  so  much,  she  was  determined  that  they  should 
not  disperse  and  ho  disbanded  without  having  had,  in 
health  and  in  victory,  some  taste  of  luxuries  which  had 
been  long  richly  deserved.  Going  homo  to  Philadelphia, 
sho  sent  word  to  her  friends,  —  thooo  same-  friends  who  had 
kept  a  cornucopia  of  comforts  for  soldiers  at  her  side  all 
through  the  war,  — and  sho  soon  had  abundant  supplies  of 
all  kinds  prepared.  [Mrs.  Husband  took  them  to  AVashing- 
ton,  and  found  her  soldier  boys  at  Bailey's  Cross-Roads. 
Six  successive  days  sho  took  an  ambulance,  loaded  with 
bounties  and  comforts  of  every  sort,  over  to  the  encamp 
ment,  and  gave  them  out  to  the  returning  heroes.  These 
closing  acts  of  rejoicing,  and  of  generous  appreciation, 
consumed  the  greater  part  of  the  month  of  May,  and  wero 
tho  lust  that  aho  could  do  for  soldiers  in  the  field. 

The  warm,  personal  relations  that  grew  up  between  tho 
soldiers  and  their  benefactress,  and  the  frequency  with 
which  her  uctd  mid  virtues  were  mentioned  over  tho  camp 
fires  of  tho  army  of  tho  Potomac,  have  caused  her  to  bo 
extensively  known  and  honored  as  the  soldier's  friend. 
Her  cabinet  abounds  in  trophies,  rings,  bullets,  shells, 
guns,  swords,  pistols,  mementos,  pictures,  photographs, 
and  keepsakes,  presented  by  her  grateful  army  patients  ; 
and  now,  if  any  of  tho  boys  in  blue  full  siek,  or  in  any 
way  become  helpless  or  distressed  in  tho  city  of  her  home, 
sho  is  at  once  thought  of  and  referred  to.  No  case  of  real 
merit  and  genuine  distress  ever  comes  to  her  in  vain. 
Judicious,  as  well  as  generous,  her  friends  rely  upoii  her 


332  "WOMEN    OP   THE    WAK. 

opinion,  and  when   sho  says,    "  Give,"  a  hundred  purses  aro 
opened. 

Hut,  above  all,  she  has  the  supreme  and  all-sufficient 
approval  of  her  own  spirit ;  the  rich  memories  of  those 
years  crowded  with  great  events  in  which  sho  took  a  part ; 
great  battles  which  she  witnessed,  and  great  crowds  of 
eufTcring-  men  to  whom  eho  brought  relief  and  comfort, 
\vh<m  sha  WAS  tho  almoner  of  tho  gouoroua  gifta  of  tho 
largo  circle  of  home  workers,  who  over  followed  her  with 
their  prayers  and  their  sympathies ;  when  sho  constantly 
delighted  in  relieving  tho  wants  of  her  fellow-creatures, 
nnd  cultivated  that  divine  pleasure  by  the  moat  liberal  and 
unpretending  methods,  and  daily  thanked  her  Groator  for 
being  permitted  to  do  good. 


MRS.   E.   E.   GEO11GE. 

WIITT/R  thuro  woro  nono  of  tho  loyal  states  that  did 
not  furnish  nurses  mid  heroines  who  displayed  on 
enthusiasm  as  genuine  as  any  of  tho  volunteers,  and  a 
devotion  aa  deep  as  any  who  fell  in  huttlo,  some  wero  con- 
apicuoua,  aud  deserve  honorable  mention  in  history,  for  tho 
thoroughness  and  energy  with  which  all  £heir  sanitary 
enterprises  wore  conducted. 

In  tho  KuHt,  Maine  seems  to  havo  done  more  for  her 
soldiers  than  any  other  state.  There  was  in  Portland  a 
regular  and  well-conducted  organization  of  army  nurses,  to 
which  thoso  ladies  made  application  who  desired  to  make 
themselves  useful  in  tho  hospitals.  In  the  West,  Indiana 
seems  to  havo  boon  tho  most  active,  tho  most  systematic 
and  profuse,  in  her  labors  for  tho  comfort  and  health  of  tho 
volunteers.  Tho  Military  Agency  at  Indianapolis,  among 
its  various  duties,  assumed  tho  general  direction  of  tho 
volunteer  lady  nurses  who  went  out  from  that  state.  JBy 
ail  active  correspondence  with  various  medical  directors, 
and  with  tho  general  agents  of  tho  Sanitary  and  Christian 
Commissions,  the  Agency  was  constantly  informed  in  regard 
to  tho  positions  of  great  destitution,  where  the  largcafc 
number  of  suffering  soldiers  wore  assembled,  whore  tho 
wounded  of  a  bloody  battle  were  principally  concentrated, 

(333) 


334  WOMESf    OF    THE    WAR. 

and  at  what  point  a  particular  iiurso  or  corps  of  Christian 
women  could  bo  of  the  most  efFectivo  service.  During  tho 
last  three  years  of  tho  war  this  Military  Agcnc3r  sent  out 
from  Indianapolis  t\vo  hundred  and  fifty  ladies  as  nurses. 
They  were  in  all  parts  of  tho  field,  and  ministered  to  tho 
sufferers  in  every  great  battle  from  Fort  Donelsoii  to  tho 
Five  Forks.  They  were  at  Memphis,  at  Helena,  at  Young's 
Point,  at  Vicksburg,  and  at  New  Orleans.  They  went  with 
Rosecrans  through  Tennessee,  and  with  Sherman  through 
Georgia.  They  dressed  wounds  that  wero  received  in  tho 
charge  over  tho  rugged  heights  of  Lookout  Mountain,  they 
nursed  patients  that  were  languishing  with  malarious  fever 
caught  in  tho  Yazoo  Swamp,  they  bound  bleeding  limbs  at 
Gettysburg,  and  after  all  tho  battles  of  the  war  were  fought, 
they  received  the  skeleton  wrecks  of  tho  armies  that  came 
out  alive  from  Salisbury  and  Andersonvillc,  and  endeavored 
to  restore  life  and  cheerfulness  to  eyes  that  had  so  long 
been  familiar  with  famine  and  death  in  their  morit  hideous 
aspects. 

Some  account  of  one  of  tho  most  earnest  and  laborious 
of  these  Sisters  of  Charity,  one  who  engaged  in  tho  service 
from  tho  purest  motives,  and  scaled  her  loj'ul  zeal  by  death 
at  tho  post  of  duty,  may  servo  aa  a  typo  of  tho  heroism  and 
sacrifices  of  all. 

Some  timo  in  January,  18G3,  Mr.  Haimamaii,  the  gen 
eral  military  agent  for  tho  State  of  Indiana,  received  a  note 
from  correspondents  at  Fort  Wayne,  recommending  Mrs. 
E.  E.  George,  of  their  city,  as  a  lady  well  qualified  to  servo 
as  hospital  nurse.  A  few  days  after,  Mrs.  George  addressed 
him  in  person,  and  tendered  her  services.  Ho  could  not  at 


MRS.     K.     K.     GEORGE.  335 

that  moment  assign  her  to   a  field  of  labor,  and  sho  wont 
to  Chicago,    hoping    to    find    her    services    required   l»y   tho 
Sanitary    Commission.       While     there,    Mr.    Ilunuumuii    re 
ceived   advices  from  Memphis,  stating  that  a  great  demand 
had  suddenly  arisen    thcro  for   attentions   to  tho  wounded  at 
tho    first    assault    ou    tho    northern,    defences    of  Viekshurg. 
They  had  been  brought  to  Memphis  on  hospital  transports, 
and  a  largo  number  of  nursed  could  find  immediate  employ 
ment  among  them.       Ho  telegraphed  at  once  to  Mrs.  George, 
and  sho    presented   herself  at  tho    sanitary  rooms.       Her  ago 
seemed  against  her,  for  sho  had   reached  that  period  of  lifo 
•\vhich  suggests  tho  quiet  of  the  liresido  and  the  comforts  of 
home,  rather  than  a  rude,  changeful,  and  wearing  succession 
of   exhausting   toils    and    midnight   vigils.       This    objection 
was    suggested    to    her.      "True,"    she    replied,  "I    am   old; 
but  my  health  i.s  good,  and    I  am  very  desirous  to  do  some 
thing  for  those  who  are   every  day  exposing  their    lives    for 
our  country.       If  unable  to   go  through  as   much  as   .some,  I 
•will    engage    never   to  bo  at  all    troublesome  or  in    the  way." 
The  mainspring  of  her  zeal  was  as  much  Christian  devotion 
as   patriotic   sacrifice.       To  do  good  was  tho   law  of  her  life. 
To  assuago  suffering  was  her  greatest  pleasure. 

With  other  ladies  she  arrived  in  Memphis  curly  in  tho 
spring  of  18(J3,  and  commenced  her  work.  Tho  physicians, 
•who  know  how  much  depends  upon  nursing,  and  how  use 
less  are  all  drugs  without  skill  and  judgment  at  tho  bedside, 
soon,  saw  the  value  of  Mrs.  George,  and  she  had  full  per 
mission  to  visit  every  ward  of  all  tho  hospitals  in.  Memphis. 
Governor  Morton,  of  Indiana,  also  sent  her  a  special 
commission  to  inquire  for  and  dispense  to  all  tho  sick  and 


336  WOMKN    OP    THE    WAR. 

wounded  of  the  Indiana  regiments.  With,  thcso  creden 
tials  her  means  of  sanitary  usefulness  were  greatly  increased. 
Her  excellent  practical  sense,  and  the  Christian  meekness 
of  her  character,  made  her  a  suitable  person  to  bo  invested 
•with  unusual  authority,  while  her  age  and  the  elevation  of 
her  motives  won  involuntary  respect  and  admiration  from 
all  with  whom  she  was  connected.  During  the  spring  and 
summer  of  1863  her  labors  in  tho  Memphis  hospitals  wero 
unceasing.  Early  in  the  fall  of  that  year  she  gave  herself 
a  short  respite,  visiting  her  friends  in  Fort  Way  no,  and  in 
October  she  returned  to  Memphis,  soon  after  proceeding  to 
Corinth.  She  mado  frequent  trips  between  those  places, 
with  various  hospital  supplies  and  sanitary  comforts  for 
tho  men  ;  and  although  tho  cars  wero  often  iircd  into  by 
guerrillas  and  squads  of  Confederate  cavalry,  sho  acted  as 
though  fear  of  death,  while  in  tho  lino  of  duty,  was  a 
passion  that  had  no  place  in  her  culm,  and  well-regulated 
mind. 

When  General  Sherman's  army  left  Corinth,  and  moved 
up  the  Tennessee  to  rceuforco  Grant  at  Chattanooga,  Mrs. 
George  returned  to  Memphis,  and  went  around  to  Nash 
ville.  Thence  she  went  southward  to  Pulaski,  where  she 
assisted  in.  opening  a  hospital.  There  was  no  mode  of 
reaching  this  place  by  railroad,  as  tho  cars  wero  not  running 
south  of  Columbia.  Tho  intervening  distance  of  forty 
miles  sho  travelled  in  a  rough  army  wagon.  At  Pulaski 
she  remained  several  mouths,  and  during  tho  time  made 
several  trips  to  Indiana,  where  she  collected  hospital 
supplies ,  and  took  them  forward  to  Pulaski.  Tho  stores 
intrusted  to  her  hands  wcro  always  carefully  guarded,  and 


MltS.     E.     E.     GKOltOK.  337 

distributed  with   fidelity  and  discretion.      When  tho   spring 
campaign  of  1864  opened  by  tho  advance  of  Sherman  from 
Chattanooga    into   tho    heart  of  Georgia,  Mrs.  George,  with 
several  other  ladies,  accompanied  the   army.       She  and  they 
shared   in  the  dungers,  the  hardships,  and  tho  glory  of  that 
over-memorable  campaign.      There  were  few,  if  any,  general 
hospitals    south   of  Chattanooga,   and  at   Kingston,  Rcaaca, 
ICeiiesaw  jNIouiitaiii,  and    the  other    battles  of  that   summer, 
she  labored   in  the  iield  —  sometimes  at   the   front,  often  all 
night    as    well     as     all    day,     sifter    the    battles,     binding    up 
wounds,  and  giving  water  to  cool  inflammations  and  allay 
thirst.      Labors  of  this    sort  were   sometimes    continued   till 
the   powers    of  endurance    were    quite    exhausted,    and   she 
wrapped  an  army  blanket  around  her,  and  fell  asleep  under 
a  tree  or   a  wagon,  to   be   awakened    in  a  few  hours   by  tho 
moans  of  the  wounded,  and  to  resume  her  labors  till  nature 
was    again    overcome.       Upon    the    investment    of   Atlanta, 
Mrs.  George    became    connected  with    the    Fifteenth   Army 
Corps    Hospital.       When  this    eorps    marched    to    Jonesboro 
she    had    an    ambulance    assigned    her,    and,  at   tho    earnest 
request  of  the  men,  went  with  them.       During  tho  battle  of 
Jonesboro,  she  was  dressing  the  wounded    in  a  tent  bo  near 
tho   front  as  to    bo   in  range  of  the  client's  guns.      A  shell 
from  one  of  their  batteries  pierced  tho  tent,  and,  exploding 
within  a    few   feet   of  whcro   eho    was    standing,    killed   two 
wounded    men.       AVheii   asked    if  tho    circumstance   did    not 
somewhat  alarm  her,  she   replied,  "No,  I  was  not  alarmed, 
for  I   looked  upon  it  as  simply  tho   intention  of  Providence 
to  test  my  courage." 

In  tho  fall  of  18G4,   when  General   Sherman's  army  re- 
22 


338  WOMKN    Of   1'IIE    WAR. 

turned,  from  JToiiesboro  to  .Atlanta,  Mrs.  George  wont 
homo  for  a  brief  period  of  rest.  Returning  shortly  after 
to  Xashvillo,  sho  found  that  Sherman's  army  had  taken  up 
their  march  directly  for  Savannah,  and  as  till  couimunica- 
tions  with  his  rear  were  impossible,  sho.  wad  unable  to 
rejoin  the  Fifteenth  corps.  The  winter  of  13G-1  and  lttG5 
was  therefore  passed  at  Xuahville.  During-  the  siege  of 
thut  city  by  Hood,  and  the  subsequent  battle,  by  which  tho 
enemy  was  driven  across  the  Tennessee  River,  Airs.  George 
and  two  other  ladies  opened  a  hospital,  and  were  very  use 
ful  and  unwearied  in  their  attentions  to  the  wounded.  As 
soon  as  she  ascertained  that  Sherman's  army  had  reached 
Savannah,  she  reported  to  tho  state  agent  of  Indiana,  at 
Indianapolis,  and  prepared  to  rejoin  the  corps  to  which  she 
had  attached  herself.  AVhile  passing  a  few  days  at  L\>rt 
"\Vuyiic,  she  learned  that  some  of  the  agents  of  the  Indiana 
Sanitary  Commission  were  about  to  leave-  iS'cw  \"ork.  for 
Savutmah,  and  went  immediately  to  that  city,  with  a  view 
of  joining  them.  lly  some  oversight,  transportation  and 
a  pads  were  not  provided,  and  the  agents  sailed  without 
her,  She  was  then  compelled  to  go  to  AVashingtou,  to 
procure  the  necessary  pass  ;  and  while  waiting  for  her 
papers  to  be  made  out  at  the  war  department,  she  called  oil 
Miss  Dix,  who  urged  her  to  go  to  Wilmington,  North  Caro 
lina,  which  had  just  passed  into  possession  of  the  Union 
force,  and  where  there  was  a  largo  amount  of  suffering. 
Fearing  that  with  Miss  Dix  her  character  as  a  representa 
tive  of  Indiana  would  be  lost,  sho  hesitated,  and  would  not 
go  except  upon  the  condition  that  she  should  devote  her 
self  especially  to  such  Indiana  voluuteers  as  sho  might 


MUM.     i-:.     i:.    GEOIIOC.  389 

liiul  at  \Y  ilmm^toM.  Mi.-in  Dix  assented.  Hardly  hud  the 
noble  woman  arrived  at  Wilmington  beforo  there  reached 
that  point  eleven  thousand  Union  prisoners,  who  had  j>».»l 
been  released  from  the  Htoekudo  at  Salisbury.  Tlieir  con 
dition  was  in  the  last  degree  pitiablo  and  wretched.  Two 
thousand  of  them  had  not  u  whole  garment  upon  their 
bodies  ;  two  hundred  hud  lost  their  feet  by  frost.  To  these 
sufferers,  and  with  very  iiuuU»<juato  hospital  supplies,  JMrs. 
George  devoted  herself,  day  and  night,  in  labors  to  relieve, 
as  far  as  possible,  tho  moat  acuto  uud  pressing  of  their 
wants. 

Hero  it  was  that  this  excellent  lady  iinishcd  her  toils,  and 
crowned  her  long  and  active  career  of  beneficence  by 
deliberate  self-martyrdom.  She  literally  worked  herself 
to  death.  Jiy  day  she  was  constantly  occupied  in  super 
intending  the  manufacture  of  clothing  for  tho  naked  ;  at 
night  she  went  into  tho  hospitals,  and,  depriving  herself 
of  sleep,  passed  many  of  tho  hours  of  darkness  in  nurs 
ing  the  greatest  sufferers.  Rxertioiis  such  as  theso  could 
not,  from  tho  nature-  of  things,  last  long.  For  moro  than, 
two  years,  she  had  taken  only  brief  periods  of  rest  :  she 
was  advanced  in  years,  and  tho  peculiar  form  of  typhoid 
fever  which  attacked  tho  released  prisoners  for  whom  she 
so  heroically  labored,  was  in  a  high  degree  contagious. 
Suddenly  her  system  gave  way,  and  she  was  pronounced 
severely  ill  with  typhoid  fever.  As  soon  na  this  was  known 
to  tho  Indiana  Sanitary  Commission,  who  had  always 
regarded  her  na  one  of  tho  most  faithful  and  efficient  of 
their  representatives  in  tho  field,  they  sent  Dr.  William  II. 
Wishnrd  to  her  relief.  When  he  arrived  she  appeared 


34O  WOMEN*    OF    TUB    WAH. 

considerably  better,  and  expressed  herself  as  though 
she  might  bo  permitted  to  reach  homoy  and  aco  tho  faces 
of  her  daughters  oueo  moro.  All  tho  preparations  were 
made  for  her  removal.  As  sho  felt  a  little*  fiint,  Dr. 
"Wiwhard  ordered  a  stimulating  drink,  and  went  out  into 
tho  city,  to  attend  to  some  final  business  before  starting. 
Upon  his  return,  what  was  his  astonishment  to  find  hi.s 
patient  a  corpse  !  The  grasp  of  tho  disease  had  been  deeper 
than  ho  supposed,  and  after  tho  fatigue  and  excitement  of 
preparing  to  return  home,  she  sank  into  a  relapse  which 
nothing  could  arrest,  and  paascd  directly  from  tho  scene 
of  her  last  and  greatest  labors  to  tho  itmiicdiato  fruition 
of  her  abundant  and  heavenly  reward. 


ANNA    MARIA    ROSS. 

NO  war  was  ever  uo  sustained  by  tho  persistent  devo 
tion  and  x«-al  of  tho  Lome  population  as  wad  the  groat 
civil  contest  from  which  wo  Imvo  just  emerged.  Aside 
from  tho  regular  and  enormous  expenditures  of  govern 
ment,  nearly  eighty  millions  of  money  were  raided  and  ex 
pended  by  the  loyal  citizens  in  providing  for  tho  soldier, 
and  the  widows  and  orphans  of  those  who  perished  in  tho. 
strife.  The  great  cities  near  the  border  vied  with  eueh 


other  in  the  eilbrt  to  do  mo.-sl  for  tho  eolumns  of  war 
worn  soldiers,  who,  from  time  to  time,  filed  through 
their  streets,  or  were  hurried  forward  to  tho  field.  Phila 
delphia,  situated  ax  it  is  in  the  direct  line  of  travel,  —  a 
point  through  which  nearly  every  man  who  at  any  timo 
belonged  to  tho  army  of  tho  JL'otomuc  must  pass,  —  was 
noted  throughout  tho  war  for  the  devotion  of  its  citizens, 
and  especially  of  its  ladies,  to  tho  comfort  and  welfare  of 
tho  soldier. 

Several  of  its  wives  And  mothers  gavo  up  tho  comfort  of 
happy  homes,  and,  while  tho  war  raged,  applied  themselves, 
with  a  constancy  and  a  spirit  of  self-sacrifice  that  were  never 
surpassed,  for  tho  relief  of  those  who  were  suIFcring  in  tho 
camp  or  languishing  in  the  hospital.  Among  the  home 
laborers,  uo  daughter  of  that  City  of  Brotherly  Lovo  was 


342  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

more  abundant   in.   her  works,  or  more  earnest  and  untiring 
in  her  zeal,  than  she  whose  name  is  written  above. 

The  Cooper's  Shop  Saloon,  inaugurated  mainly  by  her 
exertions,  and  in  a.  large  measure  sustained  by  her  untiring 
labors,  became  at  once  her  grave  and  her  monument.  The 
dovotediiess  and  the  love  she  there  manifested  were  wit 
nessed  and  will  bo  remembered  by  thousands  who  will 
never  know  the  benefactress  to  whom  they  were  indebted 
till  they  meet  her  oil  the  shining  shore.  And  she  passed 
directly  from  these  toils  and  anxieties,  when  the  hoarse 
voices  of  tho  Avar  were  loudest  and  most  threatening,  to  the 
crown  of  the  just,  to  the  kingdom  of  perpetual  rest. 

The  blessed  dcstin}'  of  this  saintly  woman  can  be  spoken 
of  with  great  certainty,  for  the  life  of  beneficence  in  the 
midst  of  which  her  days  were  cut  short  did  not  begin  with 
tho  demands  of  our  civil  war.  By  fifty  years  of  active 
usefulness,  by  tho  example  and  the  blood  of  iioblo  ances 
tors,  some  of  whom  had  moulded  bullets  for  tho  army  of 
"Washington,  and  fought  under  tho  eye  of  that  great  ehicf- 
tain,  her  character  had  been  confirmed  ill  excellence  long 
before  tho  sullen  roar  from  Charleston  harbor  went  jarring 
across  the  continent. 

In  a  city  famous  for  its  public  and  its  private  charities,  in 
a  community  originally  made  up  of  philanthropists,  she  had 
long  been  most  favorably  and  widely  known  for  the  rare 
kindness  of  her  heart,  the  activity  of  her  sympathies,  and 
her  Christ-like  consecration  to  good  works. 

When  the  war  assumed  its  colossal  proportions,  and 
brought  its  demands  to  the  door  of  every  cottage  in  tho 
.land,  the  good  ladies  of  Philadelphia,  under  the  lead  and 


MAUIA    IIO68.  3-13 

inspiring  example  of  Miss  Itoss,  determined  to  tlo  all  in 
their  power  for  tlio  aoldiers  who  were  temporarily  brought 
within  their  reach.  Uy  their  exertions  the  Cooper's 

Shop     Sulooii     was     opened     and      sustained u     plain      lutt 

spacious  building,  where  every  soldier  that  passed  through 
the  city  was  welcome,  where  lie  would  tiiul  prepared  for 
him  an  ahimdaiice  of  wholesome  food,  and  where,  if  «ick 
or  exhausted,  he  could  rem:iiii  ami  receive  medical  advice, 
nurniiig,  aii<l  necessary  urticlos  of  clotliing,  all  the  free  gift 
of  the  citizens  of  Philadelphia.  As  early  as  November, 
18<»l,  there  is  recorded  a  vote  of  thanks  from  tho  Cooper 
Shop  committee  to  ML-srs  Roo.-i  and  her  lady  frionds  for  tho 
able  :md  effective  manner  in  which  they  hud  iitted  up  the 
new  hospital  attached  to  the  eating  saloon,  and  for  their 
indefatigable  exertions  in  providing'  all  the  necessary 
comforts  for  sick  and  wounded  soldiers. 

From  that  time,  for  two  years,  when  tho  curtain  of 
death  fell  upon  her  career  of  philanthropic  devotion,  sho 
shrank  from  no  toil,  avoided  110  exposure,  withheld  neither 
time,  nor  money,  nor  life  itself,  from  the  cuuae  in  which  sho 
had  enlisted.  Yet  the  work  grew  upon  her  hands,  and  its 
demands  increased,  rather  than  diminished,  as  tho  Avar 
deepened.  As  McClellan's  campaign  progressed  to  its  dis 
astrous  close  ;  as  l*ope  fell  back  to  \Vash  ing  ton,  uud  tho 
Union  force  again  advanced,  and  met  tho  flushed  enemy  oil 
tho  hills  of  Antietam  ;  as  LYedoricksburg,  and  Chanccl- 
lorsvillc,  and  Gettysburg  followed,  with  their  great  host 
of  wounded, — tho  hospital  of  the  Cooper's  Shop  Saloon 
was  kept  constantly  full  of  soldiers,  who  had  come,  on 
their  way  homo,  or  to  general  hospitals  in  tho  North,  and 


344  W<pME3f    OF    TIFE 

•were  obliged  to  remain,  sonic  times  to  gather  strength 
for  the  remainder  of  their  journey,  sometimes  on  one  of 
these  well-kept  hospital  cots  to  receive  final  discharge  from 
nil  earthly  service. 

In  this  hospital,  -with  its  various  demands,  Miss  Ross 
worked  from  the  hour  of  its  establishment,  till  those  hands 
that  labored  so  faithfully,  and  were  willing  to  do  so  much 
more,  were  stiffened  by  the  frosts  of  death. 

In  tho  summer  and  fall  of  18(>3  these  labors  wero  un 
commonly  severe  and  earnest.  It  was  as  though  her 
self- forgetting  heart  had  received  some  premonition  of  tho 
change  that  awaited  her  ;  as  though  some  voice  in  her  dreams 
had  uttered  those  words  of  solemn  incitement,  "  AVhat  thou 
doest  do  quickly."  Tho  sick  and  wounded  in  tho  hospital 
demanded  her  care.  Tenderly  and  wakofully,  while  others 
sleep,  she  passes  from  couch  to  couch,  soothing  tho  feverish 
fancy,  moistening  the  fever-cracked  lips,  giving  medicine 
here  arid  cordial  there.  At  tho  same  time,  a  great  fair  is 
in  progress,  and  tho  substantial  and  permanent  interests  of 
tho  hospital  and  tho  soldier  can  be  secured  as  effectually  by 
labor  there  as  among  tho  sufferers.  And  thus  she  takes 
upon  herself  double  duty,  and  burns  tho  candle  at  each  end. 
She  canvasses  through  tho  city,  pleading  tho  soldiers' 
cause  from,  street  to  street,  and  from  door  to  door.  Then 
her  exertions  take  a  wider  range,  and  she  travels  through 
many  of  the  cities  and  towns  of  Pennsylvania  on  tho  same 
noble  errand.  Restless  and  anxious,  regardless  of  fatigue 
and  nervous  exhaustion,  forgetting  herself,  and  imbued 
with  the  one  high  aim  of  accomplishing  a  great  and  a 
noble  work  for  the  soldier,  she  makes  deep  inroads  on  the 


MARIA     ROSS.  345 

fund  of  her  own  lifo,  and  almost  literally  "  coins  her  very 
blood,"  that  the  peeuniary  returns  of  tho  fair  may  bo 
abundant. 

Private  sorrows,  at  tho  aarno  time,  mako  thoir  de 
mands  upon  tho  largo  sympathies  of  her  heart.  She 
watches  tho  dying  hours  of  an  aged  and  saintly  cler 
gyman,  and  after  his  death  remains  to  condole  with  tho 
bereaved  family.  Tho  fair,  in  tho  mean  time,  is  held,  and 
the  returns  are  largo,  equal  to  her  fondest  hopes  ;  and  tho 
"  Soldier* s  Homo,*'  tho  object  to  which  theso  labors  had 
been  aimed,  is  accomplished. 

But  her  disposition  was  that  which  tho  old  historian 
applies  to  the  nation  of  tho  Greeks — sho  thought  nothing 
accomplished  so  long  as  anything  remained  undone.  The 
pleasing  task  of  furnishing  and  fitting  up  tho  Homo  is  now 
hers,  and  abundant  funds  aro  at  her  disposal.  Ju  making 
these  purchases,  and  effecting  tho  necessary  arrangements, 
she  continued  her  labors  one  night,  till  past  twelve  o'clock, 
retiring  cold  and  benumbed,  and  thoroughly  exhausted  by  a 
succession  of  great  exertions.  She  thought  rest  would  rc- 
storo  her  ;  but  in  tho  morning  tho  numbness  is  colder  and 
more  alarming.  Medical  skill  is  summoned,  and  tho  prac 
tised  eye  and  hand  soon  proiioimco  the  caso  hopeless.  .  .  . 
In  the  month  of  December,  18G3,  on  tho  very  day  that  her 
pure  spirit  was  released  from  its  toil-worn  frame,  tho 
Homo,  for  which  she  had  lived,  and  for  which  she  had 
also  died,  was  dedicated,  and  entered  upon  its  mission  of 
blessing,  and  restoration,  and  cheer  to  tho  soldier. 

Tho  memory  of  one  who  was  so  truly  noble,  alike  in  her 
life  and  in  her  death,  was  justly  honored.  Tho  funeral 


346  WOMEK    OF    T1IE    WAR. 

train  was  immense  ;  the  eulogies  were  eloquent ;  yet  nono 
could  say  too  much  of  such  a  life  and  such  a  work.  lieso- 
lutioiis  were  passed  by  the  committees  of  the  Saloon  ami 
tho  Home,  that  had  been  tlio  principal  theatre  of  her 
sacrifices  and  benevolence. 

The  incitement  of  so  rich  an  example  was  not  lost. 
Others  arose  and  labored  in  tho  same  cause,  >vith  a  tlovo- 
tioii  only  less  entire  than  that  which  had  cost  her  life.  Tho 
Saloon  and  the  Homo  continued  to  flourish  and  bless 
thousands  upon  thousands  of  weary  and  war-sick  men, 
for  months  and  years  after  her  hands  were  mouldering  in 
the  long-  rest  of  tho  grave. 

As  truly  as  tho  hero  who  fell,  pierced  with  his  death  shot 
just  as  his  regimental  flag  was  carried  by  tho  storming 
column  over  the  battlements  of  the  routed  foe,  so  she,  as 
true  a  heroine  as  any,  fell  at  her  post,  in  the  heat  and 
depth  of  the  conflict,  just  before  tho  blessed  dawiilight  and 
the  joyful  shouts  of  victory. 


.•:(.«          i    ..    .ii»  ..    <  >t 

i      tit     r 

tit    . » i i     •  :  i  •    • ,  1 1 .  i !  4 ;  i 


.  I    .      .  :  ••    . 

''..:•      '         1 1  i  I  i      :     I         lii»'     I .  •  I 

i:  ...    :     y    !•::  ;  .•  .•    !';     .      j,l 

•»     .  •!     u    i     .l»l        -M •   a.        ;:... 
i  L    ; »        ft  -Mil  liili:       I  «  •      i:l.li. 


MRS.   A.   II.   HOGE. 

AS    among  the  men   who    enlisted    in.   the    war  thero  was 
every    grade    of  natural    ability,    so  with  tho    women, 
who  hi  their  way  enlisted  also  as   hospital   nurses    and    sani 
tary  laborers,  every  rank  in  lifts,  and  all  stations  in  society, 
sent  their  representatives  into  tho  field. 

Tin*  re  were  many  rude  ami  uncultivated,  yet  kind- 
hearted  and  pure-mi  mlod  camp  followers,  like  Uridget 
Divers,  who  took  naturally  to  the  rough  life  of  the  soldier, 
and  followed  the  men  in  cunip  and  on  tho  inarch,  with 
a  saddle  or  an  ambulance  cushion  for  a.  pillow,  and  no 
covering  from  tho  dews  of  heaven  hut  a  brown  army 
blanket. 

Others  became  hospital  nurses,  and,  for  month  after 
month,  and  year  following  your,  could  bo  found  bending 
over  the  same  cots,  though  their  occupants-  constantly 
changed,  wiping  clammy  foreheads,  soothing  feverish 
fancies,  moistening  parched  lips,  writing  messages  of  love 
and  hope  to  distant  homes,  singing  hymns  of  Christian 
cheer,  and  closing  tho  lids  over  glazing  eyes. 

Others,  again,  there  were,  — and  that  number  is  not  large, 
who  brought  to  tho  altar  of  their  country  raro  gifts,  splen 
did  social  powers,  tho  fascination  of  a  noblo  or  a  winning 
presence,  and  all  the  qualities  tlint  combine  to  make  a 


348  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAR. 

wonaau   widely   knowu,    profoundly   respected,   and   deeply 
loved. 

Of  the  great  number  of  persons  who  saw  Mrs.  Hogo,  of 
Chicago,  and  heard  her  pleading-  tho  causo  of  the  suHering 
volunteer,  before  so  many  gatherings  of  her  own  sex,  who 
met  her  in  her  long  and  frequent  journey  ings,  the  soldiers 
who  saw  her  in  hospital  wards,  or  in  tho  trenches  before 
Vicksburg,  and  especially  those  who  saw  those  generous, 
unwearied,  multiform,  and  most  successful  labors  at  tho 
great  Sanitary  Fair  of  Chicago,  there  are  nono  \vho  would 
not  assign  her  a  high  position  among  the  queens  of  American 
society.  And  those  of  her  own  sex,  who  saw  lu:r  moving 
thus  brilliantly  in  that  noble  career  of  public  usefulness, 
would  be  the  first  to  apply  to  her  that  culminating  eulogy 
of  Solomon,  "Many  daughters  have  -done  virtuously,  but 
thou  exccllest  them  all." 

Tho  native  city  of  Mrs.  Ilogo  is  Philadelphia.  "Whether 
anything  is  due  to  tho  spirit  of  William  Poiin,  and  tho  mild 
flavor  of  peace  on  earth  and  good  will  to  men  which  has 
ever  breathed  from  tho  religion  of  tho  C^ualcors,  need  not 
here  be  discussed.  Certain  it  is  that  many  of  those  of  tho 
gentler  sex  who,  in  our  great  war,  have  distinguished  them 
selves  by  the  consecration  of  the  finest  social  genius  to  tho 
most  extensive  philanthropic  labors,  came  from  the  City  of 
Brotherly  Love. 

After  her  marriage,  Mrs.  Hogo,  whoso  family  name  was 
Blackio,  removed  with  her  husband  to  Pittsburg,  and  not 
long  after,  in  1848,  to  Chicago,  a  city  which  then  hardly 
numbered  twenty-five  thousand  inhabitants.  Living  thus 
in  the  most  vigorous  and  enterprising  community  on  the 


MRS.     A.     II.     IIOGK.  349 

continent,  in  a  city  that  doubles  its  population  once-  in  four 
years,  uiitl  seeing  the  vast  regions  of  the  north-west,  for 
which  Chicago  is  tho  commercial  emporium,  expanding  with 
imperial  strides  under  tho  system  of  free  labor,  and  beneath 
the  common  ilag  and  the  matchless  constitution,  it  was  not 
strange  that  she  beeamo,  in  a  manner,  inspired  by  tho  irre 
sistible  flood  of  enthusiasm  which  swept  over  that  commu 
nity,  when  it  became  an  assured  fact  that  eleven  great  states 
had  inaugurated  a  civil  war,  in  violation  of  tho  constitu 
tion,  in  derision  of  tho  ilag,  and  to  make  human  bondage 
perpetual  in  tho  nation.  Her  tirst  act  was  freely  and 
promptly  to  givo  up  her  sons  to  the  service.  One  of  these* 
hoys  began  in  tho  ranks,  and  commanded  a  company 
when  the  war  closed.  Tho  other  rose  from  captain  to  tho 
rank  of  brevet  brigadier-general. 

"Whilo  the  conviction  was  general  that  tho  war  would  not 
bo  protracted,  Mrs.  I  logo  remained  in  (Jhicago,  and  occu 
pied  herself  in  tho  usual  and  happy  routine  of  home  duties, 
and  in  sewing  for  tho  soldiers.  But  in  tho  winter  and 
spring  of  18G2,  it  became  apparent  to  most  thinking  per- 
aous  that  tho  American  States  were  committed  to  a  long 
and  deadly  struggle,  whose  duration  and  whoso  stages  no 
mortal  could  anticipate,  and  whose  issue  could  bo  known 
no  further  than  Unit  the  right  must  eventually  prevail. 

At  this  period  of  the  conflict,  Mrs.  Iloge  assumed,  as  it 
were,  a  new  character,  and  commenced  a  life  wholly  in  con 
trast  with  tho  domestic  seclusion  in  which  her  days  had 
hitherto  passed.  In  company  with  her  friend  and  co- 
laborer,  Mrs.  Livermoro,  she  entered  upon  a  series  of 
patriotic  and  philanthropic  labors,  011  a  plan  commensurate 


350  WOMEN    OF    TIJLE    WAR. 

with  tho  vastness  of  jtho  scale  on  which  tho  war  began  to  bo 
conducted,  and  with  an  earnestness  and  zeal  not  unworthy 
tho  priceless  interests  which  it  involved. 

Their  operations  were  in  connection  with  tho  Chicago 
branch  of  tho  United  States  Sanitary  Commission.  Thoy 
had  worked  with  this  organization  from  its  inception  in  that 
city,  and  now,  in  January,  18(52,  tltese  two  ladies  took  upon 
themselves  the  herculean  enterprise  of  keeping  the  shelves 
and  tho  treasury  of  the  Commission  tilled,  notwithstanding 
tho  constant  and  enormoua  demands  made  upon  it  by  over 
two  hundred  thousand  soldiers  in  active  service. 

Without  asserting  that  tho  liberality  of  tho  people  might 
not  have  been  developed  through  other  agencies,  tho  bril 
liant  success  of  these  admirable  women  appears  in  the  fact, 
that  with  their  labors  the  funds  increased  from  eighteen 
thousand  dollars  to  more  than  two  hundred  and  litly 
thousand  dollars,  and  tho  boxes  of  sanitary  and  hospital 
supplies  from  five  thousand  to  fifty  thousand,  during  tho 
two  years  and  a  half  that  war  raged  west  of  tho  Aile- 
ghanies. 

Their  plan  was  to  go  from  city  to  city,  and  from  town  to 
town,  throughout  tho  North-west,  and  assemble  the  ladies  of 
each  community.  IVIrs.  Ilogo  often  read  them  a  narrative 
of  the  experience  she  had  enjoyed  among  tho  soldiers,  and 
aided  in  the  formation  of  a  Soldier's  Aid  Society.  In 
many,  and,  towards  tho  close  of  tho  war,  ill  all  the  places 
they  visited,  some  organization  of  tho  kind  was  in  exist 
ence.  Hero  their  object  was  to  stimulate  to  fresh  industry 
and  incite  to  larger  generosity. 

These   travels   and    organizing  labors   in.  tho   loyal  towns 


MRS.   A.   n.  HOQE.  351 

and  cities  wcro  interrupted  by  a  number  of  visits  niudo  by 
Mrs.  Ilogo  to  tho  front,  where  she  remained  many  days, 
and  sometimes  weeks,  at  a  time,  dispensing,  with  her  own 
hands,  tho  supplies  that  she  had  collected  from  the  home 
communities.  JSo  numerous  were  these  trips,  and  so  inces 
sant  were  her  hospital  labors  when  at  the  front,  that  during 
the  war  she  stood  at  the  bedside  of  more  than  a  hundred 
thousand  sick  or  wounded  patriot  soldiers. 

To  Mrs.  Iloge  also  belongs  tho  honor  of  originating,  and 
carrying  through  to  a  brilliant  success,  tho  first  ^reat  Sani 
tary  Fair  at  Chicago.  In  tho  spring  of  tho  cardinal  year 
of  the  war,  tho  year  that  saw  the  Mississippi  running  free 
within  Union  lines  from  Lake  Itasea  to  tho  sea,  Mrs.  Ilogo, 
and  those  associated  with  her  in  Chicago,  commenced  their 
operations  oil  a  larger  plan  than  anything  before  attempted 
ill  the  country.  A.  few  hundreds,  or  three  or  four  thousands, 
of  dollars  had  been  tho  utmost  that  had  been  realized  by 
any  previous  enterprise  for  tho  soldier.  It  was  now  pro 
posed  to  inaugurate  a.  aehemo  of  charity  on  u  national  scalo, 
aiming  at  largo  financial  results.  By  it  Mrs.  Ilogo  pro 
posed  to  add  at  least  tweiity-tivo  thousand  dollars  to  tho 
treasury  of  tho  Sanitary  Commission. 

Her  travels  and  lectures  had  made  her  the  most  widely 
known  of  any  lady  in  Chicago  among  ull  those  communities 
that  look  to  that  city  as  their  emporium.  Circulars  were 
issued,  and  vice-presidents  appointed  in  a  great  number  of 
towns,  extending  westward  across  Wisconsin  to  tho  city 
of  Iowa,  and  northward  to  St.  Paul,  and  tho  vigorous 
and  deeply  loyal  communities  of  the  Upper  Mississippi 
Valley. 


352  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

Thcro  were  not  wanting  thoso  who  pronounced  tho  plan 
chimerical,  and  predicted  its  failure  ;  but  the  result  showed 
how  much  inoro  correctly  Mrs.  Ilogo  and  her  associates 
had  estimated  tho  strength  of  tho  general  sympathy  with 
tho  suffering  soldier.  The  sum  originally  proposed  sinks 
almost  into  insignificance  when  compared  with  tho  splendid 
result,  and  is  well  nigh  lost  when  contrasted  with  the  mil 
lions  that  were  aftarwards  poured  into  the  same  treasury 
from  those  similar  enterprises  that  took  their  rise  and  found 
their  model  in  tho  Chicago  Fair.* 

It  had  proposed  twenty-live  thousand  dollars.  It  realized 
eighty  thousand.  From  other  fairs,  held  in  other  cities, 
after  tho  plan  of  this  at  Chicago,  not  less  than  ten  million 
dollars  were  contributed  towards  the  sanitary  well-being  of 
the  Union  armies. 

After  this  noble  enterprise  had  been  carried  to  success  so 
triumphant,  Mrs.  Ilogo  resumed  her  x'isits  to  the  hospitals. 
She  also  visited  various  other  civics  as  un  experienced 
adviser  in  all  matters  connected  with  sanitary  labor.  Sev 
eral  times,  in  eastern  cities,  she  recounted  her  experience 
among  the  soldiers,  Avith  the  happiest  effects  in  tho  com 
munities  where  the  influence  of  her  example  and  of  her 
eloquence  were  alike  made  to  bear  upon  the  cause. 

In  tho  spring  of  18G5,  just  beforo  the  war  was  ended, 
sho  read  an  address  at  a  meeting  of  ladies  held  at  Packer 
Institute,  in  Brooklyn,  which  was  greatly  admired,  and 
immediately  published  by  the  Sanitary  Commission,  as  ono 

*  For  a  sketch  of  the  fair,  and  an  account  of  its  plan,  management,  and 
success,  sec  North  American  Review,  January,  1864  j  also  the  History  of  the 
Philadelphia  Sanitary  Fair. 


MRS.     A.     II.     1IOGE.  353 

of  its  regular  documents.  As  a  narrative  of  sanitary  labor 
and  experience  in  hospitals  and  at  the  front,  nothing  could 
bo  more  interesting  or  satisfactory.  It  is  a  graphic  and 
touching  compendium  of  tho  field  labors  of  Mrs.  Ilogo, 
from  tho  commencement  of  active  hostilities  in  the  AVcst, 
till  tho  surrender  of  Vicksburg.  After  this  timo  eho  was 
chiefly  absorbed  in  home  labors,  in  connection  with  tho 
Chicago  and  other  great  sanitary  fairs. 

"Tho  lirbt  great  hospital  I  visited,"  said  Mrs.  Iloge  to 
tho  Brookl3rn  ladies,  "  was  Mound  City,  twelve  miles  from 
Cairo.  It  contained  twelve  hundred  beds,  furnished  with 
dainty  sheets  and  pillows,  and  shirts  from  tho  Sanitary 
Commission,  and  ornamented  with  boughs  of  fresh  apple 
blossoms,  placed  there  by  tender  female  nurses,  to  refresh 
tho  languid  frames  of  their  mangled  inmates.  As  I  took 
my  slow  and  solemn  walk  through  this  congregation  of 
suffering  humanity,  I  was  arrested  by  the  bright  blue  eyea, 
and  pale,  but  dimpled  cheeks,  of  a  boy  of  nineteen  sum 
mers.  I  perceived  ho  was  bandaged  like  a  mummy,  and 
could  not  move  a  limb  ;  yet  still  ho  smiled.  Tho  nurse 
who  accompanied  mo  said,  '  \Vo  call  this  boy  our  miracle. 
Five  weeks  ago,  ho  was  shot  down  at  Donelsoii  ;  both  legs 
and  arms  where  shattered.  To-day,  with  great  care,  he 
has  been  turned  for  tho  first  time  ;  and  never  a  murmur  has 
escaped  his  lips,  but  grateful  words  and  pleasant  looks  have 
cheered  us.'  Said  I  to  tho  amiling  boy,  —  some  absent 
mother's  pride,  —  'How  long  did  you  lie  on  tho  field  after 
being  shot?'  'From  Saturday  morning  till  Sunday  even 
ing,'  he  replied  ;  '  and  then  I  was  chopped  out,  for  I  had 
frozen  feet.'  *  How  did  it  happen  that  you  were  left  so 
23 


I 

354  WOMELNT    OF    TITE    WAIi. 

long1?'  'Why,  you  see,'  said  ho,  *  they  couldn't  stop  to 
bother  with  us,  because  tliey  had  to  take  t7te  fort.'  'But/ 
said  I,  c  did  you  not  feel  'twas  cruel  to  leave  you  to  sufler 
so  long?'  'Of  course  not!  How  could  they  help  it? 
They  had  to  take  the  fort  ,*  and  when  they  did,  we  forgot 
our  sufferings,  and  all  over  the  battle-field  went  up  cheers 
from  the  wounded,  even  from  the  dying.  Men  that  had 
but  one  arm  raised  that,  and  voices  so  weak,  that  they 
sounded  like  children**,  helped  to  swell  the  sound.'  '  Did 
you  suffer  much?'  His  brow  contracted  as  ho  said,  'I 
don't  like  to  think  of  that ;  but  never  mind  ;  the  doctor  tells 
me  I  won't  lose  an  arm  or  a  leg,  and  I'm  going  back  to 
have  another  chance  at  them.  There's  one  thing  I  can't 
forget,  though,'  said  ho,  as  his  sunny  brow  grew  dark ; 
'Jem  and  I  —  nodding  at  the  boy  in  the  adjoining  cot  — 
lived  on  our  fathers'  neighboring  farms  in  Illinois  ;  wo  stood 
beside  each  other,  and  fell  together.  As  he  knows,  we  saw 
fearful  sights  that  day.  "We  saw  poor,  wounded  boys 
stripped  of  their  clothing.  They  cut  ours  oft*,  when  every 
movement  was  torture.  "When,  some  resisted,  they  were 
pinned  to  the  earth  with  bayonets,  and  left  writhing  like 
worms,  to  die  by  inches.  I  can't  forgive  the  devils  for 
that.'  '  I  fear  you've  got  more  than  you  bargained  for.' 
'Not  a  bit  of  it ;  we  went  in  for  better  or  worse,  and  if  we 
got  worse,  we  must  not  complain.'  Thus  talked  the  beard 
less  boy,  nine  months  only  from  his  mother's  wing.  As  I 
spoke,  a  moan  —  a  rare  sound  in  a  hospital  —  fell  on  my 
ear.  I  turned,  and  saw  a  French  boy,  quivering  with  agony, 
and  crying  for  help.  Alas  !  he  hud  been  wounded,  driven 
several  miles  in  an  ambulance  with  his  feet  projecting,  had 


MRS.     A.     H.     HOOK.  355 

them  frightfully  frozen,  and  the  surgeon  had  just  decided 
that  tho  discolored,  useless  members  must  bo  amputated, 
and  tho  poor  boy  was  begging  for  tho  operation.  Beside 
him  lay  a  stalwart  mail,  with  a  fine  face,  tho  fresh  blood 
staining  his  bandages,  his  dark,  damp  hair  clustering  round 
his  marble  forehead.  Ho  extended  his  hand  feebly,  and 
essayed  to  speak,  as  I  bent  over  him,  but  speech  had  failed 
him.  He  was  just  brought  in  from  a  gunboat,  -where  ho 
had  been  struck  by  a  piece  of  shell,  and  was  slipping 
silently,  but  surely,  into  eternity. 

"Two  days  afterwards  I  visited  Jcflersou  Barracks  Hos 
pital.  In  passing  through  the  wards,  I  noticed  a  woman 
seated  beside  the  cot  of  a  youth  apparently  dying.  He 
was  insensible  to  all  around  ;  sho  seemed  no  less  so.  Her 
face  -was  bronzed,  and  deeply  lined  with-caro  and  suffering. 
*  Her  eyes  wcro  bent  on  tho  ground,  her  arms  folded,  her 
features  rigid  as  marble.  I  stood  beside  her,  but  sho  did 
not  notice  mo.  I  laid  my  hand  upon  her  shoulder,  but  sho 
heeded  mo  not.  I  said,  '  Is  this  young  man  a  relative  of 
yours?'  No  answer  came.  'Can't  I  help  you  ?'  With  a 
sudden,  impulse,  that  electrified  mo,  her  dry  eyes  almost 
starting  from  tho  sockets,  and  her  voice  husky  with  agony, 
sho  said,  pointing  her  attenuated  finger  at  tho  senseless  boy, 
cHe  is  tho  last  of  seven  sons  :  six  have  died  in  tho  army, 
and  tho  doctor  says  ho  must  die  to-night.'  The  flash  of 
life  passed  from  her  face  as  suddenly  as  it  came  ;  her  arms 
folded  over  her  breast ;  she  sank  in  her  chair,  and  became, 
as  before,  tho  rigid  impersonation  of  agony. 

"As  I  passed  through  another  hospital  word,  I  noticed  a 
man  whose  dejected   figuro   said   plainly,  c  he  had  turned  his 


356  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

face  to  tho  wall  to  dio.'  Ilia  limb  hud  been  amputated,  an<l 
he  had  just  been  told  his  doom.  Human  nature  rebelled. 
Ho  cried  out,  'I  am  willing  to  dio,  if  I  could  but  see  my 
wife  and  children  once  more.'  In  tho  silence  that  followed 
this  burst  of  agony,  the  low  voice  of  a  noble  woman,  who 
gave  her  time  and  abundant  means  to  the  sick  and  wounded 
soldiers,  was  heard  in  prayer  for  him.  Tho  divine  influence 
overcame  his  struggling  heart,  and  as  uho  concluded,  ho 
said,  'Thy  will,  O  God,  be  done  !  'Tis  a  privilege,  even 
thus,  to  dio  for  one's  country.'  Before  tho  midnight  hour 
ho  was  at  rest.  The  vacant  bed  told  tho  etory  on  tho  next 
morning. 

M  At  one  time  I  spent  six  weeks  with  tho  army  on  the 
move,  having  in  chat-go  a  large  amount  of  hospital  stores, 
and  having  the  privilege  of  personally  dispensing  them  to 
thoso  who  so  greatly  needed  them.  As  tho  steamer  on 
which  we  had  our  headquarters  was  tied  up  for  the  night,  I 
was  sent  for  by  the  colonel  of  a  Wisconsin  regiment,  in 
great  haste,  to  see  a  young  man  who  was  very  ill  on  board 
the  steamer  Express.  As  we  entered  tho  boat  wo  wcro  met 
by  the  colonel,  who  said,  '  Ladies,  I  ain  in  great  distress  ;  I 
have  in  my  regiment  a  young  man  who  hud  graduated, 
studied  law,  and  wad  about  to  enter  into  partnership  with 
his  father,  when  my  regiment  was  forming.  Ho  was  an 
only  child,  and  a  young  man  of  rare  promise.  Ho  enlisted 
in  my  regiment.  The  clay  we  left  Wisconsin  hia  father  nnd 
mother  were  with  us.  Tho  mother,  forgetting  all  but  her 
only  child,  threw  her  arms  around  me,  and  said,  '  O,  colonel, 
for  God's  sake,  guard  my  treasure,  for  it  is  my  all  ;  and 
now  I'm  afraid  he's  going  to  die.'  "Wo  threaded  our  way 


MRS.     A.     II.     I100E.  357 

through  tho  long  cabin,  011  which  lay  rows  of  sick  soldiers, 
with  no  pillow  but  a  hard  knapsack,  110  bod  but  tho  buro 
floor,  and  no  clothing  but  that  in  which  they  had  inarched 
and  picketed  for  many  weary  weeks.  The  young  man 
referred  to  had  been  placed  in  a  state-room.  As  wo 
entered,  he  drew  the  soiled  blanket  over  his  unco  neat 
collar  and  neck-tie,  that  had  uot  been  removed,  and  said, 
'  Ladies,  don't  couao  in  ;  I'm  too  filthy  to  bo  seen.'  As  he 
lay  there,  I  thought  I  had  seldom  seen  a  finer  face  ;  a  broad 
forehead,  clearly-cut  features,  and  dark,  expressive  eyes, 
betokened  intellect  and  refinement.  \Vo  talked,  with  him. 
cheerfully,  told  him  the  colonel  had  granted  him  a  fur 
lough,  to  bo  removed  to  our  boat,  to  bo  carefully  nursed 
till  we  could  place  him  in  his  mother's  care.  Ho  looked  so 
bright,  aud  spoke  so  cheerfully,  Unit  wo  cherished  hopes  of 
his  early  recovery.  AV~o  promised  to  send  a  stretcher  for 
him  early  in  tho  morning,  and  after  making  all  arrange 
ments  for  his  comfort,  and  giving  him  :L  cup  of  tea,  wo  loft 
him.  After  leaving  tho  room,  I  thought,  What  if  ho  should 
die?  Who  \vill  receive  his  l;u»t  words,  or  know  his  last 
thoughts?  I  turned  back,  and  said,  '  Wo  shall  send  for  you 
in  tho  morning,  if  wo  livo  ;  but  life  is  xo  uncertain,  espe 
cially  in  the  army  on  tho  move  !  Suppose  wo  never  meet  on 

earth  again, what  would  you  say?'     Looking  scronoly  up, 

ho  said,  '  I  understand  you.  Should  I  die,  toll  my  mother, 
as  I  have  lain  hero  theso  weary  days,  all  her  early  teachings 
have  como  back,  and  I  trust  havo  douo  their  work.  My 
Sabbath  school  lessons,  that  sho  struggled  to  teach  me,  uro 
now  remembered  and  prized.  Tell  her  I  hope  to  meet  her 
in  that  heaven  where  sho  is  sure  to  go  ;  and  tell  her  I  never 


358  WOME3T    Of    TILE     WAR. 

regretted  tho  step  I  havo  taken.  Sho  must  not  mourn  for* 
mo  as  without  hope,  for  if  I  die  *t\vill  be  in  a  glorious  cause, 
and  our  separation  will  be  short.'  I  said,  'Thank  God  !  I 
hope  you  may  be  spared  long  to  comfort  3rour  parents  and 
servo  your  country  and  your  Maker.'  lie  thanked  mo 
earnestly  for  returning,  and,  as  I  was  told,  talked  cheer 
fully  for  an  hour  about  going  home-  Tho  next  morning  wo 
sent  a  stretcher,  but  tho  answer  came  back,  that  William 
had  gono  homo,  not  to  his  mother,  but  to  his  leather's  arms. 
Threo  weeks  later,  ou  my  route  to  Vicksburg,  I  met  a  friend 
of  tho  family  in  search  of  AVilliam's  hotly.  lie  said  tho 
parents  wero  longing  for  the  precious  casket  of  their  jewel 
to  lay  it  to  rest,  under  tho  old  willow  tree  at  tho  homestead. 
They  had  well  nigh  sunk  under  tho  crushing  blow,  but  wcro 
upheld  by  his  parting  words  of  love,  and  failh,  and  heroism, 
which  J  had  transmitted  to  them. 

"After  tho  first  repulse  of  our  army  from  Vicksburg,  sad 
stories*  of  sickness  and  suil'criiig  reached  tho  cars  of  tho 
Sanitary  Commission.  I  was  intrusted  by  tho  Commission, 
with  a  choice  supply  of  stores,  and,  accompanied  by  two 
gentlemen,  started  for  Vicksburg.  Tho  river  was  high,  tho 
weather  miserably  rainy  and  depressing ;  guerrillas  con 
stantly  threatening  our  boat everything  portentous  and 

gloomy.  After  a  painful  but  rapid  journey,  wo  reached 
Young's  Point,  when  I  was  immediately  transferred,  with 
my  stores,  to  tho  Silver  Wave,  tho  Sanitary  boat  of  tho 
United  States  Sanitary  Commission.  For  ten  days  I  stood 
in  tho  little  storehouse  of  tho  Commission,  dealing  out  life, 
and  health,  and  happiness  to  our  emaciated  soldiers.  As  I 
stood  at  the  rude  counter,  I  had  beside  me  a  barrel  of  soft 


MRS.     A.     U.     HOGK.  350 

4 

crackers,  a  bag  of  onions,  a  sack  of  potatoes,  a  box  of  her 
ring,  a  box  of  pepper,  ami  a  box  of  homo-mado  gingerbread. 
Grccu  tea,  lemons,  codfish,  and  white  sugar  completed  tho 
assortment.  Tho  news  spread  quickly  that  a  lady  was  on 
the  Sanitary  boat  with  comforts  for  tho  sick.  Requisitions 
poured  in  rapidly,  for,  alas  !  tho  need  was  great.  Tho 
number  of  the  hospital,  tho  exact  number  of  sick  men,  tho 
character  of  supplies  needed,  were  carefully  designated, 
signed  by  tho  surgeon,  as  well  as  a  solemn  pledge  given 
that  not  one  jot  or  tittle  should  be  used  but  for  tho  sick 
soldiers.  I  believe,  with  rare  exceptions,  it  was  kept. 
Careful  subsequent  examinations  of  all  tho  hospitals  sup 
plied  proved  it.  As  I  stood  at  my  post,  convalescent 
soldiers,  that  wo  should  call  skeletons  at  home,  by  dint  of 
canes  and  crutches,  and  friendly  liundsj,  caino  in  solemn 
procession  to  receive  for  themselves  these  treasures.  I 
rejoice  to  be  able  to  say  I  did  not  turn  0110  away  empty- 
haiuled  ;  and  also  to  remark,  to  tho  honor  of  tho  bravo 
soldiers,  that  not  ono  applied  whoso  appearance  was  not  a 
complete  certificate  of  his  necessity.  I  said  to  one  of  theso 
emaciated  men,  '  Will  you  havo  a  low  soft  crackers?'  Tho 
only  answer  was  an  outstretched  hand  and  a  tearful  eye. 
'Shall  I  give  you  an  onion?  '  f  O,  how  I've  longed  for  that, 
and  wished  I  had  ten  cents  to  buy  ono  from  tho  sutler  !  ' 
To  another  I  said,  *  Perhaps  you  would  liko  a  lemon.'  'A 
lemon  !  just  let  mo  look  at  and  smell  ono  ;  I  believe  'twould 
cure  mo.'  *  How  about  somo  horuc-mado  gingerbread?' 
That  always  brought  tho  gushing  tears,  and  was,  without 
fail,  just  liko  wife's  or  mother's.  One  poor  fellow,  who  was 
obliged  to  seize  both  railings  to  support  himself  up  tho 


360  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

• 

narrow  stairway,  opened  his  battered  haversack,  and  drew 
forth  a  small  paper  of  coffee.  Said  he,  '  I  know  you  don't 
sell  anything  here  ;  but  I  thought,  if  I  could  change  this 
coffee  I've  saved  from  my  rations  for  a  little  green  tea,  I'd 
get  an  appetite.  If  I  could  only  get  a  cup  of  tea  like 
mother  made,  I  believe  I  should  get  well.'  I  motioned 
back  the  parcel,  for  I  could  not  speak,  and  gavo  him  a  littlo 
package  containing  whito  sugar,  and  a  lemon,  sumo  green 
tea,  two  herrings,  two  onions,  and  some  pepper.  IIo  looked 
at  the  parcel  a  moment,  aud  said,  'Is  that  till  for  me?'  I 
bowed  assent.  IIo  covered  his  pinched  face  with  his  thin 
hands,  and  burst  into  a  low,  sobbing  cry.  I  laid  my  hand 
upon  his  shoulder,  and  said,  'Why  do  you  weep?*  'God 
bless  the  women  ! '  ho  sobbed  out;  'what  should  wo  do  but 
for  them  ?  I  came  from  father's  farm,  where  all  know  plenty  ; 
I've  lain  sick  these  three  months ;  I'vo  seen  no  woman's 
face,  nor  heard  her  voice,  nor  felt  her  warm  hand  till 
to-day,  and  it  unmans  mo  ;  but  don't  think  I  rue  my  bar 
gain,  for  I  don't.  I'vo  suffered  much  and  long,  but  don't 
let  them  know  at  homo.  May  bo  I'll  never  have  a  chanco 
to  tell  them  how  much  ;  but  I'd  go  through  it  all  for  tlio  old 
flag.'  '  Who  knows,'  I  said,  *  but  the  very  luxuries  JL'vo 
given  you  have  been  sent  from,  the  Aid  Society  to  which 
your  mother  belongs?'  'I  shouldn't  wonder,'  ho  replied, 
"  for  my  mother  writes  me  she  never  lets  anything  keep  her 
away  from  tho  meetings.  I'm  glad  of  it,  for  I  don't  know 
what  would  become  of  us  poor  fellows  but  fur  tho  Sanitary 
Commission.'  He  wiped  away  his  tears  with  tho  back  of 
his  hand,  gave  me  his  '  Good -by  I  God  bless  you  I '  and  said, 
*  \feel  that  I've  turned  tho  corner ;  I  haven't  felt  as  strong 


MRS.     A.     If.     1IOOE.  361 

for  months  as  I  am  now.'  With  tho  help  of  one  railing  he 
descended  tho  stuirs,  and  culled  out  from  tho  landing*, 
*  Farewell  !  God  bless  you  ! ' 

**Iu  0110  of  my  frequent  trips  to  the  army,  I  was  detained 
for  some   time  at  Columbus,  Kentucky ,  on  the   Mississippi 
River,  and   improved   tho   time    in   moving  about  among  tho 
waiting  regiments,  and   talking  with   tho   different  soldiers. 
I  passed    from   group    to    group,  and    said  a  cheering  word, 
and    told    how    wo    loved,     and     honored,    and    labored     for 
them  at  home.      It   required   but  a  moment   to   gather   largo 
audiences  ;    and  O,  what  listeners  1      Tho  words  home^  ivi/e^ 
mother,  always  brought  cheers  and    tears,  worshipful   rever 
ence,  aud  grateful  thanks.       I  believe    there   doos    not   exist, 
nor    ever   has    existed    on    this    earth,  a  more  noble,   bravo, 
honorable,  tender,  patient,  aud   enduring   race  of  men   than 
our  Union  soldiers.      As   I  turned    from   tho    last   group   to 
walk  up  the  fortifications,  I  heard  a  quick  atop,  and,  turning, 
saw  a  fine  young  man,  in  tho  uniform  of  an  orderly  sergeant. 
lie  touched  his    cap,  and  said,  *  Madam,  excuse  mo  ;    but  if 
you  will  not  consider  it  impertinent,  I  would   ask  tho  favor 
of    accompanying    you.       I've    always    been    accustomed    to 
female  society,  and  during  tho   nine   months  I  have  been  in 
tho  army,  you  are  the  first  lady  I  have  spoken  to.'      Said  I, 
'I  consider  it  a  groat  honor  to  bo  escorted  by  a  soldier,  and 
as  you  are   about   tho    ago    of  one   of  my  sons,  I  should  bo 
glad  to  have  your  strong  arm  to    lean    upon,  as  I  ascend  tho 
hill;   and  you  can   tell   me   something  of  your  history.'      fl 
am    tho     lost    of     my    mother's     eight    children,'     ho    said, 
solemnly,  'and  she  is  a  widow.       I   had  a  fine   position,    was 
postmaster  in  a  flourishing  town  in  Iowa,  and  could  not  ask 


362  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

for  brighter  prospects  than  I  had  when  the  wur  broke  out. 
At  the  first  call  I  felt  that  I  must  go,  and  said  so  to  my 
mother.  Sho  faltered,  saying,  *  John,  not  yet;  so  many 
mothers  have  more  than  one  child,  and  some  that  have  but 
one  are  not  widotcsf  I  felt  'twas  true,  especially  as  father 
had  left  her  to  my  care.  Tho  second  call  came.  Aa  it 
happened,  'twas  harder  than  ever  to  go,  for  I  had  another's 
consent  to  ask  beside  my  mother's  then.  Next  door  to  us 
lived  an  orphan  girl,  whom  I  had  known  and  loved  from 
childhood  —  I  never  knew  how  much,  till  it  appeared  pos 
sible  I  might  hiivo  to  leave  her.  Before  I  know  it,  I  had 
told  her  all,  and  found  sho  loved  mo  also.  We  were  en 
gaged  to  bo  married  ;  nevertheless,  I  felt  I  must  go  now, 
and  at  oiico  told  mother.  Sho  turned  pale,  but  said,  'John, 
I'll  bo  as  good  as  my  word  ;  go,  and  God  bless  you  I  but 
what  of  Mary?'  I'll  seo  her  at  once,  I  said;  and  in  five 
minutes  I  was  besido  her  in  the  porch,  -where  sho  stood 
every  evening,  waiting  for  me,  on  the  very  spot  where  wo 
first  pledged  our  troth.  In  the  dim  twilight  her  quick 
woman's  eye  read  something.  Sho  said,  quickly,  c  What's 
the  matter,  Jolm  ?  Aro  you  ill?  '  'Not  ill,  but  sad,  Mary. 
Tho  president  has  called  for  three  hundred  thousand  more, 
and  I  must  be  going.  Mother  says  yes ;  what  says  my 
darling?  '  The  color  had  faded  from  her  cheek,  but  her  cyo 
brightened  as  sho  said,  f  God  forbid  I  should  stand  in  your 
way  j  as  your  mother  said,  I  say,  Go,  and  God  bless  you  I 
I've  been  fearing  and  hoping  for  this.  I  love  you  better 
than  over,  and  should  havo  felt  ashamed  had  you  held 
back.  But,  John,  one  thing  must  bo  done  ;  I  never  ex 
pected  to  say  this  ;  but  wo  must  bo  married  :  if  you  aro  sick 


MILS.     A.     II.     1IOOE.  363 

or  wounded  I  must  go  to  you,  and  when  you   leave  I  must 
live  with  your  mother ;  '  and  as  she  laid  her  head  upon  my 
shoulder,  she  whispered,  '  and,  Johu,  I  would  rather  bo  your 
widow  than  another  man's  bride.'      Next  day  wo  were   mar 
ried,  I  enlisted,  and  before   nightfall  was  on  my  way  to  my 
regiment.       Strange  as  it  may  seem,  I  havo  never   regretted 
the  step.      Mother  and   Mary  live   together,  and  write  such 
cheerful  letters  twice  a  week  that  I  could  not  be  despondent 
if  I  would.      They  say,  '  Ivcop  up  your  courage,  John.     God 
takes  care  of  us,  and  will  of  you.      A\ro  expect  you  homo  at 
the  end  of  tho  war,  loaded  with  honors  ;  and  O,  what  u  wel- 
como   we'll  givo  you  ! '      I    brought  my  wedding  coat  with 
me,   and    looked    at    it,    with    smiles    and   tears,    night    and 
morning,  as  it  hung  up   in   my  tent.      Some  villain  stole   it 
last  night,  and  tho  gold  of  California  could  not  have  bought 
it.      No  matter  ;    I  havo  their  daguerrotypes.    I  wish  it  wore 
not  too  dark   for  you   to    see    them.*      Just  at    this    point  wo 
had   reached  tho  brow  of  tho  hill,  crowned  with  its  frown 
ing  battlements.      Tho   golden    purple   had    faded    from   tho 
clouds  ;    the  dimly-defined  battle-field  of  Bclmoiit  lay  across 
tho  stream  ;    tho  heavy  moan  of  tho  Father   of  ^Vators  min 
gled    with    tho   distant   hum    of  moving   squadrons,  as   they 
tiled  into  tho   boats  ;    tho   heavy  tread   of  tho   sentinels,  and 
tho    booming    of  tho   evening    gun,    completed    tho    warlike 
character  of  this   strange   but  fascinating  scene.      Wo  stood 
in    silence ;    our    hearts   wore    too    full    for  utterance.      My 
young  friend  passed  his  hand  across   his   eyes   hastily,  its  ho 
said,  '  Don't  think  I  would  have  things  otherwise  ;  I  counted 
tho  cost,  and.  am  willing  to  pay  the  price,  be  it  what  it  may.' 
I  said,  *  A  moment  since  I  pitied  you,  but  now  I  envy  you  ; 


364:  WOMEN    Of    X1IE 

you  are  happy  in  your  choice  ;  are  sustained  by  wife  and 
mother  ;  know  what  self-sacrificing  patriotism  moans,  and 
trust  in  God  implicitly.'  '  You  are  right,'  ho  said,  *  I  will 
write  your  words  to  mother  and  Mary,  for  I  am  proud  of 
them  both.'  Wo  walked  down  the  hill  rapidly,  and  were 
soon  at  John's  camp.  As  we  parted  ho  said,  *  I  believe 
God  sent  you  hero,  madam ;  for  the  first  time  in  111110 
months  I  had  a  touch  of  home-sickness  just  before  I  met 
you;  it  la  all  gone  no \v  —  farewell!  God  bless  and  keep 
you/  lie  vaulted  lightly  over  the  ditch  around  the  camp, 
and  was  soon  lost  among  the  white  tents  of  the  encamp 
ment.  I  know  not  whether  John  still  lives  to  honor  his 
regiment,  or  whether  ho  lives  in  a  hospital,  or  sleeps  in  a 
southern  grave  ;  one  tiling  I  know,  living  or  dying,  ho*  is 
one  of  the  Lord's  own,  and  will  shine  among  bis  jewels. 
In  a  few  days  after  this  interview  I  entered  the  Givyoso 
Block  Hospital,  at  Memphis,  under  the  care  of  Mother 
Bickcrdyke,  of  great  renown.  My  visit  was  unexpected, 
and  happened  at  supper  time.  As  I  entered  the  door  I  met 
Mother  Bickerdyko  in  the  convalescent  dining  hall,  whore 
everything  on  the  table  was  nutritious  and  appetising.  As 
she  was  on  her  \vay  to  the  hospital  wards,  I  accompanied 
her.  There  lay  six  hundred  freshly-wounded  men  from  the 
battlo  of  Arkansas  Post.  Each  man  was  eating  such  food 
as  we  would  have  given  them  at  home.  The  air  was  per 
fectly  pure,  and  the  snowy  sheets,  and  shirts,  and  soft 
pillows  were  refreshing. 

"  Mrs.  Bickerdyke  knew  every  man  by  name,  as  by  intui 
tion,  and,  as  she  passed,  spoke  to  one  and  another.  When 
we  reached  the  centre  of  the  room,  she  said,  'Boys,  this  is 


ams.   A.    rr.    ITOOE.  365 

Mrs.  Ilogo,  from  Chicago,  from  the  North-west  Sanitary 
Commission.  Look  at  your  shirts,  sheets,  and  pillows  ; 
they  aro  nil  marked  with  the  name  of  the  Sanitary  Com 
mission  ;  your  good  suppers  to-night  all  came  from  there, 
and  what  you  get  every  day  comes  from  the  same  place.' 
As  from  ono  voico  arose  the  cry,  c  Three  cheers  for  the 
Sanitary  Commission  I  God  bless  the  women  at  home  ! "  As 
wo  passed  from  cot  to  cot,  Mrs.  Biekerdyko  would  ask, 
""William,  how  docs  your  egg  suit  you?'  'Exactly  right, 
mother.'  f  Well,  John,  how  goes  tho  milk  toast?  '  c  Bully, 

mother tastes  liko  tho    old   cow's    milk    at    homo.'       Said  a 

gray-headed  man,  with  a  shattered  arm,  c  Mother,  I  don't 
believe  my  wife  could  beat  that  cup  of  green  tea  you  made 
mo,  with  white  sugar  in  it ;  it  has  about  cured  me  ;  I  feel 
as  chirk  as  a  robin.' 

"At  one  cot  knelt  a  bright,  bronzed-faced,  motherly 
woman,  feeding  her  husband  cautiously.  His  jaw  had 
been  shot  away,  tho  splintered  fragments  removed,  and  he 
lay  a  woful  spectacle,  not  able  to  speak  intelligibly.  *  How 
do  you  feel  to-night,  James?'  said  Mother  Bickerdyke. 
'All  right,  now,  since  she's  come,'  said  ho,  laying  his  hand 
fondly  on  her  head.  The  constant  woman's  face  beamed 
•with  joy  as  she  said,  CI  believe  I  can  take  him  home  next 
week.' 

"As  I  was  about  to  leave,  I  stood  in  their  midst,  and 
said,  '  Boys,  you  look  so  bright  and  happy,  and  seem  so 
cheerful,  I  think  you  must  be  shamming :  you  aro  all 
heroes*;  but  are  you  badly  wounded?'  *  Why  shouldn't  we 
be  happy  ? '  cried  out  a  brave,  manly  voico  ;  *  we  loft  all  to 
fight  for  the  old  flag,  and  put  it  where  it  belongs,  and  we 


366  WOMEN    OF    TITE    WAH. 

left  it  flying  at  Arkansas  Post,  if  we  did  get  hit.*  Another 
cried  out,  cheerfully,  'Madam,  what  do  you  call  this?' 
and  drew  aside  tho  sheet,  to  show  the  stump  of  a  log. 
Another  pointed  to  where  the  strong  x*ight  urin  had  been, 
and  another  to  his  bandaged  head,  from  which  a  piece  of 
shell  had  been  extracted.  A  Wisconsin  battery  boy,  beside 
me,  called  out,  *  What  do  you  say  of  me?  One  of  my 
arms  was  taken  oil*  nine  months  ago,  and  tho  doctor  says 
the  other  must  go  to-morrow.  I've  been  in  nine  battles, 
and  been  wounded  every  tiuie  ;  but  '  the  Post*  has  used  mo 
up.  What  am  I  to  do  in  the  world,  not  twenty  years  old, 
and  no  arms?'  'My  grand  fellow,*  said  I,  '  tho  women  will 
take  care  of  you.  God  never  spared  your  life  but  for  somo 
great  purpose,  and  I  believo  you  will  live  to  bless  and  bo 
blessed.'  Tcara  burst  from  his  eyes,  as  the  boys  cheered, 
and  he  said,  fervently,  'Thank  you  for  that.' 

"The  long  and  weary  siege  of  Vicksburg  had  continued 
many  months  previous  to  tho  terrific  assaults  of  our  bravo 
army  on  tho  fortifications  in  the  rear  of  that  rebel  strong 
hold.  Oil  tho  19th  and  22d  of  May  wcro  mado  those 
furious  attacks,  up  the  steep  acclivities,  in  tho  teeth  of 
bristling  fortifications,  long  lines  of  rifle-pits,  and  sharp 
shooters,  who  fringed  tho  hill-tops,  and  poured  their  mur 
derous  fire  into  our  advancing  ranks.  It  would  seem  im- 
possiblo  that  men  could  stand,  much  less  advance,  under 
such  a  galling  fire.  They  were  mowed  down  as  wheat 
before  the  sickle  ;  but  they  faltered  not.  Tho  vacant  places 
of  the  fallen  were  instantly  filled,  and  inch  by  inch  they 
gained  tho  heights  of  Vicksburg.  When  the  precipice  was 
too  steep  for  the  horses  to  draw  up  the  artillery,  our  brave 


MRS.    A.    II.     IIOGE.  367 

boys  did  tho  work  thomsolvcs  ;  and  then  fought,  and  con 
quered.  When  they  had  gained  tho  topmost  lino  of  rifle- 
pits,  they  entered  in  -and  took  possession;  and  when  I 
made  my  last  visit  to  tho  Army  of  the  Mississippi,  there 
they  were,  ensconced  as  conies  in  the  rock,  enduring  tho 
heat  of  a  vertical  sun,  and  crouching  like  beasts  of  prey, 
to  escape  tho  rebel  bullets  from  tho  earthworks,  almost 
within  touching  distance.  Tho  fierce  and  bloody  struggle 
had  filled  long  lines  of  field  hospitals  with  mangled  victims, 
whose  sufferings  wero  soothed  and  relieved  beyond  what  I 
could  have  conceived  posaiblo  ;  and  it  rejoiced  my  heart  to 
see  there  the  *  comforts  and  luxuries  of  tho  Sanitary  Com 
mission.  The  main  body  of  the  army  lay  encamped  in  tho 
valleys,  at  tho  foot  of  tho  rifle-pits,  and  spread  its  lines  in  a 
semicircle,  to  a  distance  of  fourteen  miles.  Tho  health  of 
the  army  was  perfect,  and  its  spirit  jubilant.  They  talked 
of  the  rebels  as  prisoners  ;  as  though  they  were  guarding 
them  ;  and  answered  questions  implying  doubt  of  success 
with  a  scornful  laugh,  saying,  '  Why,  the  boys  in  tho  rear 
could  whip  Johnston,  and  wo  know  it  ;  ami  we  could  tako 
Vicksburg  if  wo  chose,  and  not  disturb  them.'  Each  regi 
ment,  if  not  each  man,  felt  competent  for  the  work. 

"One  glorious  day  in  Juno,  accompanied  by  an  officer  of 
the  Eighth  Missouri,  I  set  out  for  tho  rifle-pits.  When  I 
reached  them,  I  found  tho  heat  stifling;  and  as  I  bent  to 
avoid  tho  whisking  minics,  and  tho  falling  branches  of  tho 
trees,  cut  off  by  an  occasional  shell,  I  felt  that  war  was  si 
terriblo  reality.  Tho  intense  excitement  of  tho  scene  ;  tho 
manly,  cheerful  bearing  of  tho  veterans  ;  tho  booming  of 
tho  cannon  from  tho  battlements,  and  tho  heavy  mortars 


368  WOMEN    OF   THE    WAR. 

that  were  ever  and  anon  throwing  their  huge  iron  balls  into 
Vicksburg,  and  the  picturesque  panorama  of  the  army  en 
camped  below,  obliterated  all  sense  of  personal  danger  or 
fatigue.  After  a  friendly  talk  with  the  men  in  tho  extreme 
front,  and  a  peep  again  and  again  through  the  loopholes, 
watched  and  fired  upon  continually  by  the  wary  foe,  I 
descended  to  tho  second  ledge,  where  the  sound  of  music 
reached  ua.  \Vo  followed  it  quickly,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
stood  behind  a  rude  litter  of  boughs,  on  which  lay  a  gray- 
haired  aoldier,  face  downward,  with  a  comrade  on  cither 
side.  They  did  not  perceive  us,  but  sang  on  tho  closing 
line  of  the  verse,  — 

1  Come,  humble  sinner,  in  whoso  breast 

A  thousand  thoughts  revolve, 
Como  with  your  guilt  and  fear  oppressed, 
And  make  this  last  resolve.* 

I  joined  in  tho  second  verse,  — 

4  I'll  go  to  Jcaua,  though  my  ain 
Hath  like  a  mountain  rose ; 
I  know  hid  courts ;    I'll  enter  in, 
Whatever  may  oppose.' 

Ill  an  instant,  each  man  turned,  and  would  have  stopped; 
but  I  sang  on,  with  moistened  eyes,  and  they  continued. 
At  the  close  one  burst  out,  *  Why,  madam,  where  did  you 
come  from?  Did  you  drop  from  heaven  into  these  rifle- 
pita  ?  You  are  the  first  lady  we  have  seen  here ; '  and 
then  the  voico  was  choked  with  tears.  I  said,  'I  have  como 
from  your  friends  at  home,  and  bring  messages  of  love  and 
honor.  I  have  come  to  bring  you  the  comforts  we  owe 


MBS.     A.     II.     IIOQE.  369 

you,    and  love    to   gives.      I've    come   to    sco    if  you   receive 
what   they    send  you/      '  Do    they  think  as   much   of  us   as 

that?      "Why,  boys,  wo  can  fight  another  year  on  that can't 

wo  ? '  '  \Tcs  I  yos  I  '  they  cried  ;  and  almost  every  hand 
was  raised  to  brush  away  the  tears.  c  Why,  boys,'  said  I, 
'  the  women  at  home  don't  think  of  much  besides  the  sol 
diers.  If  they  meet  to  sew,  'tis  for  you  ;  if  they  have  a 
good  time,  'tis  to  gather  money  for  the  Sanitary  Commis 
sion  ;  if  they  pray,  'tis  for  the  soldiers  ;  and  even  the  littlo 
children,  as  they  kneel  at  their  mothers*  knees,  to  lisp  their 
good-night  prayers,  say,  "  God  bless  the  soldiers."  '  A  crowd 
of  eager  listeners  had  gathered  from  their  hiding-places,  03 
birds  from  the  rocks.  Instead  of  cheers,  as  usual,  I  could 
only  hear  an  occasional  sob,  and  feel  solemn  silence.  Tho 
gray-haired  veterau  drew  from,  his  breast  pocket  a  daguer- 
rotype,  and  said,  'Hero  are  my  wife  and  daughters.  I 
think  any  man  might  bo  proud  of  them  ;  and  they  all  work 
for  the  soldiers.'  And  then  each  man  drew  forth  the  irre- 
siatiblo  doguerrotypo,  and  held  it  for  mo  to  look  at,  with 
pride  and  affection.  There  were  aged  mothers  and  sober 
matrons,  bright-eyed  maidens  and  laughing  cherubs,  all 
carried  next  these  bravo  hearts,  and  cherished  as  life  itself. 
Blessed  art  !  it  seemed  as  though  it  were  part  of  God's 
preparation  work  for  this  long  and  cruel  war.  These  mute 
memorials  of  home  and  its  loved  ones  have  proved  the 
talisman  of  many  a  tempted  heart,  and  the  solace  of 
thousands  of  Buffering,  weary  veterans.  I  had  much  to 
do,  and  prepared  to  leave.  I  said,  'Brave  men,  farewell  f 
When  I  go  homo  I'll  tell  them  that  men  who  never  flinch 
before  a  foe  sing  hymns  of  praise  in  the  rifle-pits  of 
24 


370  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAS. 

Vickfiburg.  I'll  tell  thorn  that  eyes  that  novor  weep  for 
their  own  suffering,  overflow  at  the  numo  of  home,  and 
the  sight  of  the  pictures  of  their  wives  and  children. 
They'll  feel,  moro  than,  over,  that  such  mcu  cauuot  be 
conquered,  and  that  enough  cannot  bo  doiio  for  them.' 
Three  cheers  for  tho  women  at  home,  and  a  grasp  of 
multitudes  of  hard,  honest  hands,  and  I  turned  away  to 
visit  other  regiments.  The  officer  who  was  with  mo  grasped 
my  hand.  '  Madam,'  said  ho,  f  promise  mo  you'll  visit  my 

regiment  to-morrow 'twould   bo  worth  a  victory  to   them. 

You  don't  know  what  good  a  lady's  visit  to  tho  army  does. 
Theso  men,  whom  you  have  seen  to-day,  will  talk  of  your 
visit  for  six  months  to  come.  Around  tho  fires,  in  tho 
rifle-pits,  in  tho  dark  night,  or  on  tho  march,  they  will 
repeat  your  words,  describe  your  looks,  voice,  sbcc,  and 
dress ;  and  all  agree  in  one  respect,  that  3rou  look  liko 
an  angel,  and  exactly  liko  each  man'a  wife  or  mother.' 
Such  reverence  have  our  soldiers  for  upright,  tender 
hearted  women. 

"In  tho  valley  beneath,  just  having  escaped  tho  front  lino 
of  ride-pits,  with  tho  regiment  now  occupying  it,  encamped 
my  son's  regiment.  Its  ranks  had  been  fearfully  thinned 
by  tho  terrible  assaults  of  tho  19th  and  21st  of  May,  as 
they  had  formed  tho  right  wing  of  tho  lino  of  battle  oil  that 
fearful  day.  I  knew  most  of  them  personally,  and  as  they 
gathered  round  me,  and  inquired  for  homo  and  friends, 
I  could  but  look  in  sadness  for  many  familiar  faces,  to  bo 
seen  no  more  on  earth.  I  said,  '  Boys,  I  was  present  when 
your  colors  were  presented  to  you  by  tho  Board  of  Trade. 
I  heard  your  colonel  pledge  himself  that  you  would  bring 


MTtS.     A.     II.     IIOOE.  371 

those  colors  home,  or  cover  them  with  your  blood  as  well 
as  glory.  I  want  to  see  them,  if  you  have  them  still,  after 
your  many  battles.'  A^ith  great  alacrity,  tho  man  in  charge 
of  them  ran  into  an  adjoining  tent,  and  brought  them  forth, 
carefully  wrapped  iu  an  oil-silk  covering.  lie  drew  it  oft*, 
and  flung  the  folds  to  the  breeze.  '  What  does  this  mean  ? ' 
I  said.  'How  sailed,  and  tattered,  and  rent,  and  faded  they 
look  !  I  should  not  know  them/  Tho  man  who  held  them 
said, 'Why,  ma'am,  'twas  tho  binoko  and  balls  did  that.' 
'Alif  so  it  must  have  boon,'  I  said.  *  Well,  3'ou  have 
covered  them  with  glory,  but  how  about  tho  blood?'  A 
silence  of  a  minute  followed,  and  then  a  low  voice  said, 
'Pour  were  shot  down  holding  them:  two  arc  dead,  and 
two  in  tho  hospital.'  '  Verily,  you  have  redeemed  your 
pledge,*  I  said,  solemnly.  'Now,  boys,  sing  "Rally  round 
tho  Flag,  Boys  I  "  And  they  did  sing  it.  As  it  echoed 
through  tho  valley,  as  we  stood  within  sight  of  tho  groou- 
swurd  that  had  been  reddened  with  tho  blood  of  those  who 
hud  fought  for  and  uphold  it,  mothought  tho  angcla  might 
have  paused  to  hear  it,  for  it  was  a  sacred  song — tho 
song  of  freedom  to  the  captive,  of  hope  to  the  oppressed 
of  all  nations.  Since  then,  it  seems  almost  profane  to  aiiig 
it  with  thoughtlessness  or  frivolity.  After  a  touching  fare 
well,  I  stepped  into  tho  nmbulaiico,  surrounded  by  a  crowd 
of  tho  bravo  fellows. 

"  Tho  last  sound  that  reached  my  ears  was  cheers  for  tho 
Sanitary  Commission  and  tho  women  at  home.  I  soon 
reached  tho  regimental  hospital,  where  lay  tho  wounded 
color-bearers.  As  I  entered  tho  tent,  tho  surgeon  met 
me,  and  said,  '  I'm  so  glad  you've  come  !  for  R.  has  heen 


372  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

calling  for  you  all  day.'  As  I  took  his  parched,  feverish 
hand,  ho  said,  '  O,  take  uao  homo  to  iny  wife  and  little  ones, 
to  die  ! '  There  ho  lay,  as  noble  d  specimen,  of  vigorous 
manhood  as  I  had  ever  looked  upon.  Ilia  great,  broad 
chest  heaved  with  emotion  ;  his  dark  eyes  wcro  brilliant 
with  fever ;  his  cheeks  tlu&hed  with  almost  the  hue  of 
health  ;  his  rich  brown  hair  clustering  in  soft  curls  over 
his  massive  forehead,  —  it  was  ditlicnlt  to  realize  that  he  was 
entering  tho  portals  of  eternity.  I  walked  across  tho  tent 
to  the  doctor,  and  asked  if  ho  could  go  with  me.  IIo 
shook  his  head,  and  said  before  midnight  ho  would  bo  at 
rest.  I  shrunk  from  hia  eager  gaze  as  I  approached  him. 

*  What    does    ho    say?'   ho    asked,    quickly.      f  You   can't  bo 
moved.'      Tho   broad   chest   rose    and   fell  ;   his   whole  framo 
quivered.       Thero    was    a    pause    of   a    few    moments.      IIo 
spoko  first,  and  said,  *  AVill   you   take   my  message  to  her?' 

*  I  will/  I  said,  *  if  I  go  five  hundred  miles  to  do  it/     f  Tako 
her  picture   from    under  my  pillow,  and   my  children's  also. 
Let  mo   see    it    ouco   more.'      As    I  held   them   for  him,  ho 
looked  earnestly,  and  then  said,  '  Tell    her    not  to  fret  about 
me,  for  wo  shall   meet   in   heaven.      Tell   her  'twas  all   right 
that  I  came.       T  don't  regret  it,  and  sho  must  not.      Tell  her 
to  train  these  two  little  boys,  that   wo    loved   so   well,  to  go 
to  heaven  to  us  ;    and  tell  her  to  boar  my  loss  like  a  soldier's 
wife  and  a  Christian.'      IIo  was   exhausted   by  tho  effort.      I 
sat  besido   him  till  his   consciousness   was  goiio,    repeating 
God's    precious    promises.      As    tho    sun,    went   to   rest  that 
night,  he  slept  hi  his  Father's  bosom." 


MISS    EMILY   W.   DANA. 


PROnAJB"LY  thero  \vero  noiio  of  the  military  hospitals 
that  had  concentrated  within  their  walls  a  greater 
number  of  the  elements  of  deep  and  touching-  interest  than 
the  General  Hospital  established,  in  tho  buildings  and  on 
the  grounds  of  tho  Naval  Academy  at  Annapolis,  Mary 
land.  Others  were  nearer  tho  front,  and  contained  a 
greater  proportion  of  surgical  and  very  serious  cases.  Tho 
amputating  table,  with  its  terrible  array  of  glittering  appa 
ratus,  was  little  used  at  Annapolis.  Tho  soldiers  who 
came  there  were  thoso  whose  constitutions  had  been  shat 
tered  to  tho  foundation  by  long  sickness,  fearful  hardships, 
or  deep  and  torturing  wounds.  Tho  sufferings  of  many 
wcro  hopeless.  They  would  never  agahi  shoulder  arms  or 
draw  a  ramrod.  And,  what  was  a  far  keener  thought,  tho 
bent  and  wasted  figure  that  a  few  months  before  had 
stepped  across  tho  threshold  full  of  tho  vigor  and  hope  of 
young  manhood,  would  never  enter  again  tho  far-off  moun 
tain  or  prairie  homo.  Tho  only  hopo  of  tho  doctor  and  the 
iiurso  was  to  alleviate  tho  sufferings  of  tho  patient,  and 
mako  his  slow  march  to  tho  grave  less  gloomy  and 
appalling. 

During  tho  last  year  of  tho  war    this   hospital   became  tho 
general    rendezvous    of    tho     hundreds    and    thousands    r>f 

(373) 


374  WOMEN    OF    T1IE    WAR. 

starving  prisoners  just  released  from  Belle  Islo,  Libby, 
Salisbury,  and  .Audersoiivillo.  No  language  can  bo  too 
graphic  to  depict  the  appearance  of  those  miserable  groups 
that  every  few  days  came  in  special  trains  from  "Washington, 
or  in  boatd  from  Fortress  Monroe,  fresh  from  the  long  tor 
tures  of  those  infamous  prison  pens.  Moving  skeletons 
they  were,  or  shrivelled  mummies  they  seemed,  half  re 
stored  to  the  world  of  breathing,  hopeful  existence,  tho 
miuda  of  many  stupefied  by  tho  dreary  and  hopeless 
monotony  of  suffering  through  which  they  had  passed. 
Others,  again,  were  goaded  almost  to  madness  by  tho 
thought  that  these  enormous  cruelties,  and  tho  countless 
deaths  they  had  witnessed,  and  which  they  had  expected  to 
suffer,  were  the  result  of  a  system  of  slow  torture,  delib 
erately  adopted  by  the  rebel  authorities,  or  of  a  reckless 
indifference  to  tho  lives  of  captured  enemies  and  tho  usages 
of  civilized  warfare,  equally  barbarous  and  criminal. 

Nono  of  tho  sufferers  by  war  appealed  more  directly  or 
more  feelingly  to  tho  sympathising  heart  and  tho  Christian 
charity  of  woman  than  tho  inmates  of  tho  Naval  School 
Hospital.  A.nd  nobly  was  that  appeal  mot  by  tho  corps 
of  nurses  who  devoted  themselves  to  these  hundreds  and 
thousands  of  patients.  The  surgeon  in  charge  at  tho  Naval 
School  was  Dr.  Vandcrkieft.  Tho  lady  superintendent  in 
charge  of  the  nursing  and  special  diet  of  the  whole  estab 
lishment  was,  for  a  time,  Miss  Xyler,  of  [Baltimore  ;  and 
afterwards,  that  model  of  what  is  most  excellent  in  char 
acter,  and  most  admirable  in  practical  cflicieiicy,  Alias 
Maria  M.  C.  Hall,  of  Washington  City. 

At  different  times  there   were   associated  with  Miss  Hall, 


MISS     EMILY    W.     DANA.  375 

in  theso  labors,  more  than  twenty  ladies,  from  various 
loyal  states.  Tho  moat  of  those  who  occupied  this  inter 
esting  field  wcro  from  Maino  and  Massachusetts.  So 
numerous  wua  tho  deputation  from  tho  former  state  that 
they  Avcro  sometimes  called  tho  "  Maine  stay "  of  tho 
Annapolis  Hospital. 

In  tho  full  of  1803  a  largo  number  of  ladies  camo  out 
from  Portland  and  its  vicinity,  and  labored  for  different 
periods  in  tho  various  wards  of  tho  hospital.  Tho  work 
was  eo  systematized  that  each  person  had  a  particular 
number  of  patients  assigned  to  her.  The  hospital  was 
divided  into  sections,  and  each  section  into  wards.  Miss 
Emily  W.  Dana  came,  with  several  others,  in  August,  18G3, 
aud  wad  assigned  to  wards  13  and  C  of  section  three. 
Tho  most  of  theso  patients  were  prisoners  just  released 
from  Belle  Islo  and  Libby  Prisons.  Medicines  woro  of 
little  avail  to  reach  their  cases.  Suitable  food,  in  proper 
quantities,  seasoned  with  cheerful  talk,  sometimes  a  song 
or  a  story,  and,  more  than  all,  the  presence  of  a  graceful 
woman,  reminding  them  of  the  homes  and  delights  they 
had  so  long  been  absent  from,  and  suggesting  tho  hopes 
and  joys  of  social  and  refined  existence,  wore  more  potent 
for  their  recovery  than  any  drug,  or  balsam,  or  sulphate. 

During  tho  eight  months  that  Miss  Dana  was  ministering 
to  tho  succession  of  sufferers  who  filled  tho  cots  and  chairs 
of  those  wards,  sho  saw  many  cases  of  tho  most  profound 
and  touching  interest. 

It  was  never  an  easy  matter  to  oboy  tho  instructions  of 
the  physician,  who  ordered  a  special  and  carefully  regu 
lated  diet  for  those  whoso  systems  had  become  thoroughly 


376  WOMEN    OF    THLB    WAR. 

impaired  by  slow  starvation.  Every  day,  and  many  times 
each  day,  she  was  obliged  to  say  to  some  of  these  poor 
fellows,  "  You  must  uot  have  this  or  that,"  while  their 
longing-  cyea  wcro  watching  each  mouthful,  and  devouring 
every  morsel  of  a  heartier  neighbor's  food.  So  bitterly 
had  they  suffered  the  pangs  of  hunger,  that  often  their 
latest  breath  was  expended  in  tbo  most  pitiful  supplica 
tions  for  something  to  eat. 

One  day  Mi.^a  Dana  found  a  new  patient  in  one  of  tho 
cots  that  she  was  accustomed  to  visit.  lie  was  a  beautiful 
boy  from  Kentucky,  and  his  name  was  Thomas  Munday. 
Not  even  tbo  terrible  ordeal  through  which  he  had  passed 
had  dimmed  tho  sunny  lustre  of  his  chestnut  curia,  or 
blurred  the  brightness  of  his  eye.  Slio  asked  him  what 
she  could  do  fur  him tho  usual  question  upon  approach 
ing  a  new  patient.  "Write  to  Kentucky,  immediately,  for 
my  father  to  come."  She  wondered,  some  what,  at  tho 
earnestness  of  the  request,  for  there  was  nothing  threat 
ening  about  his  symptoms;  but  a  clay  or  two  proved  thafc 
the  poor  boy  kiic\v  best.  Tho  suffering  from  hunger  had 

gone   too    far,    and    though   ho    had   "  gotten    back  '* as    ho 

called  it  —  "  to  God's  country,"  and  the  ample  resources 
of  the  Sanitary  and  Christian  Commissions  afforded  abun 
dant  variety  of  .the  most  delicate  and  tempting  dishes, 
nothing  that  was  brought  could,  for  a  moment,  satisfy  or 
nourish  him.  Day  after  day,  for  a  week,  his  strength 
•wasted,  until  all  likelihood  of  recovery  was  abandoned; 
and  Mies  Dana  could  only  hopo  to  keep  tho  vital  spark 
alivTj,  so  that  tho  father  might  arrive  from  tiio  distant  etato 
in  time  to  see  his  bright-haired  boy  bcforo  he  died.  IIo . 


MISS    EMTLY    W.     DANA.  377 

never  complained,  but  occasionally  asked,  beseechingly, 
tf  Can't  you  do  something  for  me  ?  "  his  great  blue  eyes, 
with  their  dilated  pupils,  pleading  oven  more  earnestly 
than  words.  But  suddeuly  sho  saw  them  charged  with  an 
expression  entirely  new  and  fearful.  One-  morning,  as  she 
approached  his  cot,  the  boy  that  had  been,  so  patient  and 
passive  cast  upon  her  a  wistful,  greedy  look,  as  of  a 
hungry  animal.  She  was  bringing  him  a  little  brandy. 
Ho  raided  himself  with  a  painful  and  nervous  energy,  and 
clinched  tho  glass,  exclaiming,  "  I'm  glad  you've  come  ! 
I'm  so  hungry  !  Is  that  all  tho  breakfast  you've  brought 
mo?  I'm  starving!  O,"  said  he,  in  tones  inexpressibly 
plaintive,  "I'm  no  hungry!"  Ho  drew  0110  deep  sigh,  that 
seemed  loaded  with  tho  agony  of  tho  long  months  of  pain 
which  ho  had  suffered,  and  fell  back  upon  his  cot.  Tho 
wildiicsa  died  out  instantly  from  hid  cyca  ;  they  became  dim 
and  utoiiy.  Tho  slow  torture  was  ended.  It  was  not  until 
the  next  day  that  tho  old  Kentucky  farmer  cam'o,  and 
looked  down  at  the  pinched  features,  and  hoard  from  his 
nurse,  with  a  heart  whoso  heaviness  none  can  tell,  tho  story 
of  his  death. 

Olio  beautiful  Sunday  morning  in  September,  Miss  Dana 
entered  ward  C  with  a  handful  of  flowers  for  one  of  her 
patients.  lu  tho  cot  beside  hid  she  saw  a  fresh  arrival,  a 
noble-looking  soldier,  with  evidences  of  a  high  order  of 
intellectual  and  spiritual  manhood  stamped  upon  his  fine 
features.  Tho  patient  to  whom  she  brought  tho  flowers 
introduced  him  as  Sergeant  Martin  Armstrong,  and  ho 
Beamed  proud  to  claim  him  as  a  friend,  and  a  nicmher  of 
tho  regiment  to  which  ho  belonged.  Tho  little  hospital  cot 


378  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAR. 

seemed  too  small  for  his  manly  proportions,  as  bo  lay  half 
bolstered  up,  his  grave  and  penetrating  but  kindly  eyes 
following  every  look  and  motion  of  those  about  him, 
silently  measuring  and  fathoming  all.  Though  his  brow 
was  knit  from  the  cxquiaite  pain  ho  constantly  suffered, 
no  one  thought  of  offering  to  him,  that  august  and  self- 
contained  spirit,  the  sympathy  which  ho  quietly  bestowed 
on  others.  Tortured  by  his  wound,  and  steadily  sinking 
to  his  grave,  there  was  yet  a  something  about  this  man  that 
changed  the  atmosphere  of  the  whole  Avard  ;  and  all  the 
men  in  it  were  lifted  above  their  evcry-day  solves  by  the 
magnetism  of  his  noble  patience,  and  the  elevated  fortitude 
with  which  he  faced  death.  The  more  she  saw  of  him,  the 
more  deeply  was  she  impressed  with  the  rare  qualities  of 
this  dying  patriot.  It  was  evident  that  ho  had  entered  the 
army  fresh  from  the  fine  and  pure  enthusiasms  of  classic 
culture,  and  communion  with  the  most  elevated  authors  of 
antiquity.  His  studies  had  been  religious,  as  well  as  lit 
erary.  Homer  and  David,  Moses  and  Tacitus,  Solomon 
and  Seneca,  had  been  his  chosen  authors  before  the  gown 
of  the  scholar  was  exchanged  for  tho  sword  of  tho  dragoon, 
and  they  had  been  his  companions  at  many  a  solitary  picket 
stand,  and  his  consolation  at  tho  camp  fire.  On  the  little 

table  by  his   side    lay  his  books an  uncommon    collection, 

surely,  for  a  soldier's  knapsack.  They  were  all  well  worn, 
and  had  been  collected,  since  ho  took  tho  field,  from  mis 
cellaneous  sources.  Thero  were  tho  campaigns  of  that 
"laurelled  scholar"  of  Rome,  and  all  adown  tho  margin 
were  notes  and  criticisms,  that  indicated  how  carefully  ho 
had  studied,  and  how  thoroughly  he  comprehended  tho 


MISS    EMELTT    W.     DANA.  379 

matchless  military  genius  of  Cuesar.  JBcsido  it  was  a  Viri 
RoiiitK  ;  and  all  tho  passages  where  tho  peculiar  fortitude 
of  tho  Roman  character  was  deliiicated  wero  approvingly 
marked  and  commented  upon.  His  books  would  have  in 
dicated  tho  scholar  and  the  moral  enthusiast,  even  if  lus 
manner  had  not  already  betrayed  it. 

Hid  sickness  was  caused  by  an  old  wound  in  tho  left 
thigh,  which,  from  a  forced  march  to  Richmond,  after 
being  taken  prisoner  at  Gettysburg,  a  distance  of  a  hun 
dred  and  eighty-two  miles,  opened  afresh,  and  -with  fatal 
symptoms.  Two  weeks  ho  suffered  from  tho  wound, 
and  from  a  slow  typhoid  fever.  At  last  gangrene  set 
in,  and  ended  the  chapter.  Onco  only  ho  wondered 
what  ho  hud  ever  dune  that  he  should  suiFer  so  9  and 
then  not  in  a  (spirit  of  complaint,  but  rather  as  a  reli 
gious  philosopher.  Adams,  tho  iiurso  in  tho  ward,  was 
from  tho  same  place,  1'ittsburg,  a  meuiber  of  tho  saino 
company,  and  ft  personal  friend  of  Armstrong.  It  was 
touching  to  seo  tho  tenderness  with  which  tho  strong, 
bearded  soldier  nursed  his  dying  friend.  His  lovo  waa 
like  tho  lovo  of  Jonathan  ;  it  parsed  tho  lovo  of  woman. 
He  had  neither  eye  nor  ear  for  others,  but  sat,  night  and 
day,  with  a  Roman  patience,  watching,  in  painful  solicitude, 
tho  long,  hard  struggle  between  sueh  fiiio  physical  powers 
and  tho  relentless  grasp  of  tho  disease.  Tho  poor  body 
was  fearfully  rucked  and  emaciated.  At  length,  after  two 
weeks  of  great  agony,  his  reason  gavo  way.  Wild 
snatches  of  old  songs,  lino  passages  from  classic  orators 
and  poets,  wero  mingled  with  cries  of  distress  and  incohe 
rent  muttcriugs.  Even  in  its  chaos,  and  in  tho  extremity 


380  WOMEN    OF   THE    WAK. 

of  death,  those  around  him  could  not  but  aay,  -with 
Ophelia,  — 

"  O,  what  a  noble  mind  la  hero  o'erthrown ! 
The  courtier's,  aoldier's,  scholar's  eye,  tongue,  awortl." 

4» 

Death  at  length  ended  the  melancholy  sceno.  Early  ono 
Sunday  morning,  Miss  Dana,  at  the  first  bugle-call,  has 
tened  to  the  ward,  and  found  the  officer  of  the  day  closing 
his  eyes,  and  fitting  the  chin-cloth  under  his  marble  fea 
tures.  Close  beside  the  manly  but  now  rigid  figure  sat 
poor  Adams,  his  head  bowed  upon  his  hands,  and  his 
strong  frame  convulsed  by  the  grief  that  would  have  way. 
Never  afterwards  could  Armstrong's  namo  bo  mentioned 
that  quick  tears  did  not  start  in  his  eyes.  From  him 
she  learned  that  Armstrong  was  nearly  fitted  for  the  pulpit 
when  tho  war  broko  out ;  that  ho  had  enlisted  in  the  Sixth 
United  States  cavalry,  and  was  noted  in  tho  regiment  for 
his  soldierly  qualities,  and  tho  grave  and  elevated  spirit  of 
patriotism  and  manliness  with  which  he  was  over  actuated. 
The  presence  and  the  death  of  this  man  in  tho  ward  had  a 
marked  effect  upon  tho  patients.  They  recognized  in  him 
a  strength  of  moral  character,  and  a  power  in  his  reliant, 
yet  self-sacrificing  example,  that  made  them  proud  to  suffer 
in  a  cause  that  was  consecrated  by  tho  death  of  victims  so 
noble. 

During  tho  whole  of  her  period  of  attendance,  from 
August  till  tho  following  May,  Miss  Dana  was  impressed 
with  tho  uncomplaining  endurance  with  which  all  the 
sufferings  she  witnessed  were  borne.  "No  matter,"  sho 
says,  "  what  tho  caso  or  cause,  — I  rarely  heard  a  word  of 


MISS    KMTTiY    W.     DAKA.  381 

repining  or  regret ;  so  rarely,  indeed,  that  such  a  word  was 
noted,  and  the  unfortunate  complainant  marked,  and  almost 
scorned,  by  those  of  stronger  will." 

The  whole  of  her  experience  there,  though  in,  the  midst 
of  agony,  and  under  the  shadow  of  frequent  deaths,  was 
so  full  of  instances  of  what  is  most  admirable  and  praise- 
worthy  in  human  character  and  the  manly  virtues,  that  she 
regards  it  by  fur  the  richest  and  most  satisfactory  in  life. 


MRS.    S.    BURGER    STEARNS. 

WHEN  the  great  organized  charities  that  did  so  much 
to  bless  the  soldier  wero  first  instituted,  the  people 
were,  for  tho  most  part,  ignorant  of  the  syatcni  upon  which 
they  operated,  and  tho  precise  method  in  which  they  ac 
complished  their  benign  results.  There  \vas,  moreover, 
much  scepticism  as  to  tho  genuineness  of  their  charity. 
Many  could  not  bo  convinced  that  tho  active  agents  of  tho 
Sanitary  Commission  wero  not  instigated  by  some  selfish 
motive,  and  wero,  in  fact,  seeking  wealth  or  promotion 
under  a  saintly  guise. 

"What  becomes  of  all  tho  magnificent  sums  of  money  that 
are  received  from  our  Sanitary  Fairs  ?  TVho  are  benefited 
by  these  tons  upon  tons  of  delicacies  and  luxuries  which 
ore  constantly  forwarded  to  tho  poor  wounded  soldier? 
Does  ho  receive  them?  Is  the  condition  of  our  disabled 
men  as  much  above  that  of  armies  in  ail  previous  Avars  as 
tho  unexampled  generosity  of  our  people  would  imply? 

To  answer  questions  like  these  ;  to  explain  tho  objects, 
the  origin,  and  the  working  of  tho  Sanitary  and  Christian 
Commissions ;  to  illustrate  tho  manner  in  which  they 
reached  tho  soldier  on  the  battle-field  or  in  remote  hos 
pitals  ;  to  show  the  utility  of  lady  nurses  in  military  hos 
pitals,  and  the  good  accomplished  by  them ;  to  give 

(382) 


M1L3.     S.     BURGER     3TEARK3.  383 

individual  instances  of  courage,  fidelity,  and  self-sacrifice, 
thus  proving  tho  value  of  past  contributions,  and  affording 
warrant  for  now  sacrifices  and  larger  generosity,  —  in  order 
to  secure  all  these  eiida  there  was  demanded  a  now  and 
peculiar  class  of  self-sacrificing  laborers.  Tho  Commis 
sions  were  too  much  occupied  with  their  duties  in  the  field 
to  undertake  a  home  enterprise  like  this.  Those  ladies 
whoso  hearts  were  wholly  enlisted  in  tho  work  could  find 
in  tho  hospital  and  on  tho  battle-field  a  life  more  engross 
ing,  whoso  romance  would  iu  a  manner  compensate  for  its 
hardships. 

A.  few  could  lie  named,  OH  Mrs.  Hugo  in  the  West,  and 
Afrs.  Harris  in  tho  East,  whoso  fino  natural  gifts  and  social 
position  enabled  them  to  bo  singularly  effective  and  useful 
in  both  lines  of  service.  They  were  indefatigable  at  tho 
front,  and  at  the  samo  time,  with  their  pens  or  in  oral 
addresses,  stimulated  fresh  largesses  from  their  friends 
at  home. 

Mrs.  Stearus's  mission  was  somewhat  different.  As  her 
husband  was  a  colonel  in  active  service,  she  held  it  her 
duty  to  bo  in  readiness  to  go  to  attend  upon  him  tho  mo 
ment  ho  should  become  disabled.  She  accordingly  devoted 
herself  earnestly  to  homo  labor  in  explaining,  illustrating, 
and  recommending  those-  magnificent  systems  of  sanitary 
usefulness.  Her  mission  and  her  work  were,  during  tho 
war,  to  relievo,  cheer,  and  strengthen  tho  bravo  soldier  in 
the  field,  and  tho  anxious  patriot  at  home,  by  eloquent 
-words.  Whilo  she  fully  appreciated  tho  value  of  Jill  un 
selfish  workcr^in  all  parts  of  tho  harvest-field,  she  felt  that 
the  example  of  that  noblo  corps  of  co-laborers  ought  to  be 


1 
384  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAS. 

made  a  power  to  incite  to  blessed  acts  of  charity  thoso  who 
•were  taking  no  share  in.  the  work  ;  and  therefore  she  took 
upon  herself  the  tuslc  of  rousing  the  indifferent,  and  cm- 
ploying*  the  inactive,  through  the  influence  of  lectures  upon 
"Our  Soldiers'  Aid  Societies,"  and  upon  the  "United  States 
Sanitary  and  Christian  Commissions."  In.  Michigan,  where 
these  lectures  commenced,  and  in  most  of  the  largo  towns 
of  that  state  where  they  were  delivered,  Mrs.  Stearns  was 
known  as  a  highly  accomplished  and  earnest  young  woman, 
who  had  made  special  efforts  to  secure  for  herself  and  others 
of  her  sex  the  advantages  of  a  complete  classical  course  of 
studies  in  the  State  University  of  Michigan. 

"When  the  war  broke  out,  and  her  husband  went  into 
active  service,  though  prompted  to  accompany  him  to  tho 
field,  she  was  sure  eho  could  engago  in  a  moro  important 
line  of  activity  at  home.  She  accordingly  visited  ~\\rash- 
iugton,  and  tho  hospitals  in  its  vicinity  ;  and  becoming  fa 
miliar  with  tho  system  of  tho  Commissions  and  tho  wants 
of  tho  soldier,  she  came  before  tho  people  full  of  arguments 
and  incidents  illustrative  of  tho  untold  good  that  had  been 
done  by  Soldiers'  Aid  Societies  and  their  public  repre 
sentatives  and  almoners,  tho  two  Commissions.  Her  own 
example  was  rich  irx  tho  virtue  of  self-sacrifice.  Without 
pecuniary  recompense  were  her  labors,  but  not  without 
rich  reward.  She  so  fully  appreciated  tho  soldier's  bravo 
devotion,  that  it  was  ever  a  joy  to  her  to  offer  him  her 
tribute  of  pruiac,  and  a  double  joy  to  find  her  zcaloua  and 
loyal  words  inciting  others  to  generous  gifts  and  abundant 
labors  in  his  behalf.  •  . 

Aside    from  the  direct  aid  to   the   soldier  thus   secured, 


MBS.    S.     BURGER    STEARNS*  385 

Mrs.  Stearns*  success  in  thcso  lectures  was  incidentally 
beneficial  in  showing  how  much  good  can  ho  effected  hy 
any  accomplished  and  true-hearted  woman,  without  tran 
scending1  the  proprieties  of  her  sex,  or  violating  the  decorum 
of  society.  Iteferring  to  her  lecture  heforo  a  largo  audience 
in  the  Representatives'  Hall,  an  editor  says,  "Her  discourse 
was  listened  to  for  an  hour,  with  profound  attention,  by 
as  many  persons  as  could  liiid  scats  in  the  hall.  Some  of 
the  audiences  came  to  hoar  JMrs.  Steams  partly  out  of  curi 
osity  ;  but  all  went  away  with  tho  conviction  that  it  13 
possible  for  a  lady  to  speak  effectively  to  a  promiscuous 
audience  in  behalf  of  suffering  humanity  without  stopping 
out  of  her  true  sphere,  or  compromising  her  modesty  and 
dignity  as  a  woman." 

Tho  Hon.  Schuyler  Colfax^  in  an  address  at  Washington, 
alluding  to  tho  example  of  Mrs.  Stearns  and  some  others 
who  were  equally  zealous  and  earnest,  says,  **  AVo  have  on 
record  tho  example  of  tho  prophetess  Deborah,  who,  in  her 
rejoicing  song  boforo  tho  children  of  Israel,  poured  out  her 
praises  upon  those  who,  as  she  declares  so  strikingly,  'jeop 
arded  their  lives  unto  tho  death  in  tho  high  places  of  tho 
field,' and  her  curses  upon  tho  inhabitants  of  Mcroz, 'because 
they  camo  not  to  tho  ho'p  of  the  Lord  —  to  tho  help  of  tho 
Lord  against  tho  niigLfy  ;*  and  I  havo  not  found  in  that 
sacred  record  that  she  was  regarded  as  unsexiug  herself  by 
public  comments  on  tho  patriotism  of  her  fellow-citLsens." 

Ill  other  cities,  notices   equally  kind   and  complimentary 

appeared    after    tho    lectures  of  Mrs.  Stourns  ;    and    her   ox- 

amplo  now  remains   boforo  the  American  public  a  proof  of 

how  much  good  may  bo  effected  by  one  loyal,  acco nip li shed, 

25 


386  WOiUELN    OP    THE    WAR. 

and.    fearless    woman,     whoso    tinio    and    whoso    talents     are 
devoted,  without   reserve,  in   a   holy   cause. 

The  advantage  to  their  sex  from  such  instances  as  Mrs. 
Plogc  and  Mrs.  Stearns  is  very  great.  Tho  boundaries 
which  public  opinion  had  placed  on  tho  legitimate  activities* 
and  the  proper  sphere  of  woman  have  been  enlarged.  They 
have  shown  that  a  wife,  a  mother,  or  a  sister  is  never  more 
truly  lovely  than  when  she  pleads,  even  before  a  largo  and 
promiscuous  assembly,  the  sacred  cause  of  humanity,  pre 
senting  reasons  that  flow  from  tho  fountains  of  charity,  and 
descend  from  the  celestial  heights  of  religion. 


MRS.     HARUIKT    W.    F.     HAWLEY. 

AAIOXG  the  ninny  thousands  of  patriotic  women  of  tlio 
Xorth,  who  earnestly  desired,  from  the  tirst  moment 
of  the  great  struggle,  to  take  such  part  in  it  as  a  woman 
might,  whose  whole  soul  was  in  the  issues  of  the  conflict, 
was  Mrs.  Harriet  W.  F.  Ilawley,  n  native  of  Guilford, 
Connecticut.  When  Sumter  was  fired  on,  her  husband, 
Joseph  K.  Hawlcy,  was  tho  editor  of  the  Hartford  Kvening 
Press.  He  at  onco  laid  down  his  p*-n,  and  enlisted  for  the 
war, — tho  lirst  one  enrolled  in  the  first  volunteer  com 
pany  that  was  accepted  l>y  the  state,  and  became  its  captuin 
before  it  was  on  its  way  to  Washington. 

During  tho  first  campaign  no  opportunity  wag  afforded 
Mrs.  Ilawley  to  participate  directly  in  the  glorious  work 
going  forward,  other  than  that  given  to  every  woman  at 
home,  who  labored  in  the  work  of  equipping  the  aoldiera 
for  the  field,  and  forwarding  to  them  such  comforts  as  wore 
indispensable  to  the  sick  and  wounded.  Indeed,  it  was  not 
supposed  by  Mrs.  Ilawley's  friends  that  she  would  ever 
bo  able  to  do  any  thing  more  than  home  work  in  the  war. 
With  a  slight  frame,  a  constitution  not  strong,  health  never 
firm,  an  organization  delicate  and  nervous,  she  seemed  en 
tirely  unfitted  to  endure  hardships.  But  an  indomitable 
spirit  continually  urged,  and  in  the  fall  of  1862  her  long- 
ess?) 


388  WOMEN1    OF    THE    AVAR. 

hoped-for  opportunity  came.  Her  husband  was  in  the 
Department  of  the  South,  and  in  November  sho  obtained 
permission  to  go  to  Beaufort,  South  Carolina,  with  tlio 
intention  of  teaching  the  colored  people,  whose  first  cry  in 
freedom  was  for  the  primer.  But  circumstances,  and  the 
necessities  of  the  sick  and  wouuded  soldiers,  directed  her 
into  another  field  of  labor,  in  which  sho  continued,  with 
littlo  intermission,  until  the  war  ended.  She  became  a 
regular  visitor  at  thu  hospitals  in  Beaufort.  Of  her  services 
here  and  the-  like  at  other  places,  it  ia  not  necessary  to 
speak  in  detail  ;  the  pages  of  this  volume  sufficiently  show 
the  nature  of  the  duties  of  the  iioble  women  who  devoted 
themselves  to  hospital  work. 

In  January,  18G3,  she  went  to  Fernandina,  Florida, 
where  her  husband  —  then  colonel,  afterwards  brevet 
major-general,  and  since  governor  of  Connecticut  —  was 
placed  in  command.  Hero,  and  afterwards  at  St.  Augus- 
tinc,  sho  was  a  regular  visitor  of  the  post  and  regimental 
hospitals,  remaining  until  November,  when  she  rejoined  her 
husband  on  St.  Helena  Island,  South  Carolina,  to  which  ho 
had  returned  from  the  siege  of  Charleston.  During  the 
winter,  frequently,  and  as  often  as  her  strength  would  per 
mit,  sho  visited  the  post  hospital  at  St.  Helena,  and  the 
general  hospitals  at  Beaufort  and  Hilton  Head,  especially 
exerting  herself  when  the  ship-loads  of  wounded  men 
arrived,  after  the  battle  of  Olustcp,  in  February. 

In  April,  1864,  when  the  Tenth  army  corps  went  north 
to  join  Butler's  expedition  up  the  James,  greatly  desirous 
to  bo  near  the  regiment  and  brigade  of  her  husband,  in  the 
individual  welfare  of  the  men  composing  which  her  sym- 


MRS.     HARRIET    W.     F.     IIAWLEV.  389 

puthics  were  strongly  enlisted,  she  endeavored  to  procure  a 
situation  as  attendant  or  nurse  at  Ohesapcako  Hospital, 
to  which  the  wounded  of  that  expedition  were  likely  to  bo 
sent.  Failing  to  do  so,  she  went  to  Washington,  and  was 
placed  in  charge  of  a  ward  in  Armory  Square  Hospital. 
This  hospital  was  at  that  time  one  of  the  most  arduous  places 
of  labor  in  the  country,  besides  being,  from  its  Io\v  situa 
tion,  subject  to  malarious  diseases.  Standing  near  the 
Potomac,  it  usually  reeeiveil  the  most  severely  wound 
ed,  who  arrived  by  boats  from  beh»v  nnd  could  not  bo 
moved  far. 

Mrs.  Hawlcy  rciichcd  there  the  morning  after  the 
wounded  began  to  arrive  from  the  battles  of  the  Wilder 
ness.  Her  ward  was  in  the  armory  itself;  it  was  always 
large,  and  for  a-  time  contained  more-  patients  than  any 
other — uincty-seven.  during  those  dreadful  April  days. 
To  add  to  the  horrors  of  her  ward,  it  had  no  separate  oper 
ating  room,  and  surgical  operations  were  necessarily  per 
formed  within  it.  The  poor  fellows  who  arrived  there,  the 
mutilated  wrecks  of  that  fierce  campaign,  were  so  ex- 
haiistecl  by  their  marching  be- fore,  and  by  the  long  journey 
after  they  were  wounded,  that  they  died  very  rapidly.  One 
day  forty-eight  were  carried  out  of  the  hospital,  dying, 
with  singular  regularity,  about  one  in  every  half  hour. 
The  entire  hospital  was  calculated  to  accommodate  about 
nine  hundred,  but  it  was  made  to  take  in  over  fourteen 
hundred  for  a  Mine. 

Surrounded  by  such  scenes,  a  daily  witness  of  tho 
results  of  the  terrible  Virginia  campaign  of  18G4,  Mrs. 
Hawley  lived  in  this  hospital,  in  charge  of  the  ward 


390  WOMEN1    OF    THE    WAR. 

assigned  her,  for  four  months  ;  months  of  the  severest  labor, 
taxing  her  utmost  strength,  and  drawing  upon  her  deep 
est  sympathies,  and  that,  too,  in  a  climate  peculiarly  trying 
to  a  Northerner.  In  September  her  overtaxed  energies 
gave  way,  and  she  was  forced,  by  illness,  to  relinquish  her 
charge.  She  returned,  however,  to  the  same  ward  in  No 
vember,  and  remained  in  the  hospital  until  March,  1865. 
The  writer  visited  this  hospital  in  the  A  fay  following,  and 
found  Mrs.  Hawlcy'a  name  a  cherished  one  there,  many  a 
poor  fellow,  lying  on  his  weary  bed,  speaking  of  her  kind 
ness  and  devotion  with  beaming  face  and  tears  in  his  eyes. 

After  the  capture  of  Wilmington,  Brigadier-General  I  law- 
ley  was  assigned  to  the  command  of  the  south-west  portion 
of  North  Carolina,  headquarters  at  that  city.  Thither  Mrs. 
Hawley  followed  him  shortly,  and  there  encountered  now 
horrors  of  the  war  of  which  sho  had  already  so  much  sad 
experience.  When  Wilmington  surrendered,  it  was  in  a 
shockingly  filthy  condition,  destitute  of  supplies,  of  medi 
cines,  of  comforts  for  the  sick.  The  conquering  army 
whieh  entered  it  was  stripped  for  marching  and  fighting, 
and  poorly  supplied  with  what  the  city  so  shortly  needed  — 
hospital  stores  and  clothing  for  the  destitute.  When  Mrs. 
Hawley  arrived,  nine  thousand  Union  prisoners  had  just 
been  delivered  there,  recently  released  from  Andcrsonvillo 
and  Florence.  The  North  remembers  iu  what  sorry  plight 
they  were,  all  of  them  in  immediate  need  of  food  and 
clothing,  and  three  thousand  of  them  subjects  of  hospital 
treatment.  As  if  this  were  not  enough,  there  came  also  a 
motley  crowd  of  refugees,  which  had  hung  upon  the  skirts 
of  Sherman's  march  —  old  men,  women,  and  children, white 


MRS.     HARRIET    W.     F.     IIAWLEY.  391 

and  black,  dirty,  ragged,  hungry,  helpless.  Such  a  con 
glomeration  crowded  into  tho  little  city  —  never  a  healthy 

place noon     bred    a    pestilence,    a    sort   of  jail   or    typhus 

fever. 

Tho  medical  officers  exerted  themselves  to  tho  utmost  ; 
tho  Union  citizens  and  all  good  people  contributed  liberally 
auch  clothing  as  they  could  spare,  and  what  delicacies  they 
had  for  the  sick.  lint  what  could  they  do  to  alleviate  the 
suffering  of  so  many  thousands?  The  fever  increased  in 
virulence,  and  those  attacked  died  rapidly.  At  one  time 
there  were  four  thousand  sick  soldiers,  including  a  few 
wounded  from  Sherman's  army,  in  the  extemporized  hospi 
tals  of  tho  city,  the  large  dwellings  and  the  churches.  Sup 
plies  could  not  bo  obtained,  and  it  was  some  time  before 
even  one  clean  garment  could  bo  given  to  each  released 
prisoner  ;  and  meantime  disease  incre:ised,  and  deaths  multi 
plied.  Tue  chief  of  tho  medical  staff  died,  and  others 
were  seriously  sick  :  of  five  professional  lady  nurses  from 
tho  North,  three  sickened,  and  two  died.  One  of  tho  chap 
lains  died,  and  another  was  severely  ill  ;  and  among  tho 
detailed  soldier  nurses  the  pestilence  was  decidedly  worse 

than  any  battle- they  died  by  scores.       It  is  needless  to  say 

that  Airs.  Hawlcy  exerted  herself  to  the  utmost  to  mitigate 
tho  sufferings  by  which  she  was  surrounded.  She  organized 
the  efforts  of  tho  women  who  would  lend  their  aid,  superin 
tended  the  making  of  garments,  went  among  tho  refugees  and 
sought  out  tho  most  distressed,  visited  tho  hospitals,  shun 
ning  no  danger,  not  even  the  small  pox.  Some  idea  of  tho 
condition  of  the  town,  and  of  tho  labors  thrown  upon  the 
few  there  who  were  competent  to  improve  it,  may  be  gained 


392  WOiTEN    OF    TUB    WAR. 

from  the  following1  extract  from  a  private  letter,  written 
about  this  time  by  Mrs.  Hawley,  in  the  freedom  of  friendly 
correspondence,  with  no  thought  of  its  publication.  She 
"wrote  :  — 

w  You  know  that  over  nine  thousand  of  our  prisoners 
were  delivered  to  us  here  ;  and  no  human  tongue  or  pen 
can  describe  the  horrible  condition  which  they  were  in. 
Starving  to  death  t  covered  with  vermin,  with  no  clothing 
but  tho  filthy  nigs  they  had  worn  during  their  whole  impris 
onment —  a  period  of  from  five  to  twenty  months  ;  cramped 
by  long  sitting  in  one-  position,  so  that  they  could  not 
straighten  their  limbs;  their  feet  rotted  off!  O  God!  I 
cannot  even  now  endure  to  speak  of  it. 

"Of  course  they  brought  the  jail  fever  with  them  —  it 
could  not  be  otherwise  ;  yet  they  must  bo  fed,  and  cleansed, 
and  clothed,  and  cared  for.  There  were  no  hospital  accom 
modations  here  worth  mentioning.  There  were  not  doctors 
enough,  and  those  here  overworked  themselves,  and  caught 
the  fever  and  died.  Buildings  of  all  sorts  were  converted 
into  temporary  hospitals,  and  the  nurses  (enlisted  men) 
fell  sick  at  the  rate  of  fifty  a  d:iy.  The  chaplains  worked 
as  only  Christian  men  can  work  ;  and  they  sickened  too. 
Chaplain  Eaton  (Seventh  Connecticut  volunteers)  died,  a 
real  martyr.  Mr.  Tiffany  (Sixth  Connecticut)  has  barely 
struggled  through  a  most  terrible-  attack  of  tho  fever,  and 
is  slowly  recovering.  Another,  whose  name  I  cannot  recall, 
is  still  very  low,  and  can  hardly  be  expected  to  live.  Three 
out  of  tho  fivo  lady  nurses  sent  by  Mrs.  Dix  have  been 
very  ill,  and  one,  Miss  Kimbull,  died  this  morning,  resigned 
.and  happy,  as  such  a  woman  could  not  fail  to  be,  yet  leav- 


ams.   HAIUUET  w.   F.    HAWLEV.  393 

ing  many  friends  to  inoum  for  hor,  and  a  placo  here  that  no 
ono  can  fill. 

**  Dr.  Hiizzcll,  tho  general  medical  officer,  and  0110  who 
cannot  !>o  too  highly  spoken  of,  hoth  us  a.  mail  and  a  physi 
cian,  died  of  tho  fever  last  week.  Dr.  Palmer  has  siiico 
followed  him  ;  but  tho  terrible  list  of  those  dead  and  still 
sick  of  tho  fever  is  too  long  for  mo  to  try  to  write  it.  It  id 
only  within  the  last  live  days  that  they  havo  received  any 
hospital  supplies  :  previous  to  that  time  many  of  tho  sick 
men  were  tying  on  straw  spread  on  the  floor,  although  tho 
Union  citizens  havo  given  and  done  all  in  their  power. 
"What  could  a  few  families  do-,  from  their  private  supplies, 
towards  furnishing  three  thousand  nine  hundred  men  with 
beds  and  bedding?  licsidcs  those,  there  were  the  conva 
lescent  ones  to  be  clothed.  Thank  God  !  tho  vessel  that 
the  Sanitary  Coiumitsaion  sent  cmno  soon,  with  nine  thousand 
shirts  and  drawers,  so  that  when  I  first  saw  them,  they  had 
at  least  so  much  in  tho  way  of  clothing. 

"  "Wo  got  possession  of  twelve  hundred  yards  of  cotton, 
cloth  and  a  bale  of  cotton.  I  called  a  meeting  of  tho 
benevolent  Indies  of  the  plaeo.  The  Sanitary  Commission 
gave  us  thread,  and  in  n.  week's  time  tho  materials  were 
mado  up  :  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight  pillow-eases,  one 
hundred  and  fifty-three  pillows,  eighty-four  bed  sacks,  and 
as  many  sheets.  And  now  the  hospitals  are  all  tolerably 
well  supplied. 

"Of  course  many  havo  been  sent  North, — all  who  were 
able  to  go,  —  and  many  havo  died  on  tho  road  ;  yet  there 
are  still  many  here.  And,  as  if  this  were  not  misery 
enough  for  one  poor  little  city,  Sherman  sent  here  six 


394:  AVOMTStf    OF    TIFE    WAR. 

thousand  refugees — black  and  white,  old  men,  women, 
children,  and  babies,  with  nothing  but  what  they  could 
carry  on  their  backs,  or,  as  in  a  few  cases,  drug-  in  a  little 
old  mule  cart. 

"  And  these  poor  wretches  must  bo  housed  and  fed,  with 
the  city  already  crowded,  and  the  fever  spreading  among 
the  citixeiis.  It  is  impossible  for  you  to  imagine  the  misery 
which  has  stared  me  in  tlio  face  at  every  step  since  I  have 
been  hero.  I  can  find  no  words*  to  describe  it.  "\Vhy,  this 
very  afternoon  I  carried  food  and  wine  to  a  woman  who 
had  been  lying  sick,  for  three  dat/st  ou  a  little  straw  in  an 
old  wagon,  in  an  open  shod,  discovered  accidentally  by  one 
of  our  officers.  Of  course  this  is  not  an  e very-day  case, 
but  it  ia  :i  wonder  that  it  is  not.  Many  of  these  refugees 
have  been  sent  North,  and  many  more  will  be ;  but  the 
mere  fact  of  their  being  thus  transported  involves  a  vast 
amount  of  labor,  which  must  mostly  fall  upon  the  soldiers  ; 
and  the  garrison  hero  is  small,  as  small  as  it  can  bo  kept, 
and  do  the  necessary  work  and  guard  duty.  And,  besides 
all  this,  the  city  has  been  shamefully  neglected  for  many 
months,  and  it  is  fearfully  dirty,  and  there  is  but  a  small 
number  of  teams  and  wagons  to  do  so  great  an  amount  of 
scavenger  work. 

"It  did,  iind  still  docs,  sometimes,  look  very  hopeless 
hero,  on  all  sides.  You  at  the  JSrorth  will  never  be  able  to 
conceive  or  believe  the  true  condition  of  our  prisoners. 
You  may  sec  all  the  pictures,  and  read  all  the  accounts, 
and  believe,  or  think  you  believe,  every  word  of  them,  and 
then  you  will  have  but  a  faint  idea.  Men  have  lain  on  the 
ground  here  dying,  with  the  vorn&in  literally  swarming,  in 


MRS.     HARRIET    W.     F.     ITAWL.EV.  395 

steady  paths,  up  and  down  their  bodies,  as  ants  go  in  lines 
about  their  uiit-hills.  One  poor  fellow,  a  sergeant,  died  in 
tho  house  of  a  kind  lady  hero,  whoso  limbs  wcro  so  crumped 
by  long  sitting,  through  weakness,  that  they  could  not  bo 
straightened,  even  when  he  died,  so  that  his  coffin  had  to 
bo  made  with  tho  cover  shaped  liko  a  tent,  or  house  roof, 
to  accommodate  his  knees.  \Voiueii  were  afraid  to  walk 
over  the  plank  sidewalks  where  somo  of  tho  prisoners  had 
been  congregated  for  a  little  time,  through  fear  of  vermin. 
Men  who  had  once  been  educated  and  cultivated,  with  fine 
minds,  were  reduced  to  idiocy  —  to  utter  and  hopeless 
imbecility. 

"  Alorc  than  forty  men,  whoso  feet,  or  portions  of  them, 
had  rotted  oft",  left  oil  the  steamer  yesterday.  I  do  not 
know  how  many  more  such  cases  there  had  been  among 
them  ;  but  these  men  I  saw.  Think  of  it  !  feet  so  rotted 
away  that  tho  surgeons  cut  them  oil*  with  the  xcifisctrs  above 
tho  ankle  !  Has  God  any  retribution  for  thoso  who  inilieted 
such  suffering?  Has  their  country  any  rewards  for  tho  men 
\vho  suffered  thus,  month  after  month,  rather  than  turn 
traitor —  rather  than  deny  tho  old  Hag? 

"To-day  wo  have  been  tiring  salutes  and  ringing  the 
bells  for  the  capture  of  Richmond.  You  should  havo  hoard 
tho  hoarse  voices  of  tho  boys  in  tho  hospitals,  as  they  tried 
to  cheer  when  they  hoard  the  bells  this  noon.  I  stood  still 
in  tho  street,  and  cried  like  a  child  when  I  heard  them  ;  and 
it  all  rushed  over  my  mind  at  onco  how  much  it  meant  to 
them!" 

By  tho  arrival  of  supplies  and  aid  from  tl^e  North,  tho 
exertions  of  tho  military  authorities  in  cleaning  tho  city, 


396  WOMEN"    OP    TILE    WAR. 

and  the  shipment  North  of  the  prisoners,  and  many  of  tho 
sick  and  wounded,  tho  disease  wad  ut  length  subdued,  and 
by  the  latter  part  of  Juno,  though  tho  towu  was  unhealthy, 
the  worst  was  over. 

In  July  Mrs.  Hawley  accompanied  her  husband  to  Rich 
mond,  tho  latter  being  appointed  chief  of  staff  to  Major- 
General  Terry,  and,  quartered  in  the  spacious  and  com 
fortably  furnished  mansion  of  tho  fugitive  chief  of  tho 
rebellion,  she  enjoyed  a  most  needed  rest  from  tho 
labors  and  turmoil  of  the  camp  and  tho  hospital.  Thus 
tho  summer  passed,  and  she  looked  forward  to  a  speedy 
return  home.  JJut  the  full  price  of  her  presence  among  tho 
exciting  scenes  of  the  war  was  not  yet  paid.  In  October, 
while  returning  from  tho  battle-ground  at  Five  Forks, 
whither  she  had  gone,  with  an  uncle,  to  find  the  gravo  of 
his  son  ^Captain  Parmelcc,  of  the  First  Connecticut  cavalry), 
the  ambulance  in  which  she  rode  was  overturned,  and  she 
received  an  injury  oil  her  head,  which  for  a  long  time  made 
her  life  doubtful.  Her  whole  nervous  system  sustained 
an  almost  irreparable  shock,  aird  sho  continues  an  invalid. 

Such  is  a  brief  sketch  of  one  of  tho  many  noble  women 
of  the  country  who  have  fought  the  good  fight,  sustained 
by  a  pure  patriotism,  tho  story  of  whoso  sacrifices  will 
always  bo  sweet  and  sacred  in  our  annals. 


MISS    MARIA    M.    C.    HALL. 

AT  no  timo  since  civilization  commenced  oil  this  conti 
nent,  has  so  loud  a  call  been  in  ado  on  the  patriotism 
of  the  people  as  in  the  spring  and  summer  of  1861.  The 
government  was  assailed  by  dangers  new,  vast,  and  unde 
fined.  Tho  people  of  eleven  states,  with  a  unanimity  that 
seemed  appalling,  had  discarded  the  old  lovo  of  national 
union  in  which  Americana  had  been  educated ;  and  this 
languid  fealty  to  tho  constitution  was  by  110  means  confined 
to  tho  acceding  states. 

No  community  was  more  agitated  by  diverse  sympathies, 
and  distracted  by  fierce  partisanship,  than  tho  society  of  the 
national  capital.  Many  there  wore,  of  both  sexes,  a  num 
ber  amounting  almost  to  a  majority  at  one  time,  whoso 
southern  sympathies  were  neither  moderate  nor  disguised. 
Others,  again,  felt  their  whole  natures  stirred  with  a  pure 
and  holy  zeal  to  do  all  things,  and  sutler  ail  things,  to  sus 
tain  the  government  just  as  it  was  bequeathed  to  us,  and 
our  national  ensign,  "with  not  a  stripe  erased  or  polluted, 
nor  a  single  star  obscured." 

Born  in  Washington,  and  reared  amid  tho  stirring  and 
historic  associations  of  that  political  metropolis,  Mias  Hull 
approved,  with  her  wholo  soul,  tho  efforts  that  the  govern 
ment  was  disposed  to  make  for  the  preservation  of  ovory- 

(3V7) 


398  WOMEN    OF     THE    WAR. 

thing"  most  dear  and  sacred,  in  American  nationality-.  This 
patriotic  scutimout  took  tho  form  of  an  earnest  desire  to 
make  a  personal  consecration  of  herself  on  the  altar  of 
country. 

Her  father  was  too  far  advaneed  in  years  to  tnko  the  licld 
as  a  soldier.  lirother  sho  had  110110  of  am  ago  to  shoulder 
a  musket.  She  had  read  of  Florence  Nightingale,  and  tho 
noble  work  she  did  in  the  Crimean  war  ;  ami,  in  the  en 
thusiasm  of 'a  spirit  naturally  strong,  and  cup tt bio  of  intense 
devotion  to  an  objeet  large  enough  to  eall  out  ail  its  powers, 
she  planned  for  herself  a  course  of  action,  and  a  career  of 
usefulness,  that  would  in  effect  bo  reproducing  the  Crimean 
heroine  under  our  flag,  and  in  the  hospitals  of  our  great 
civil  conflict. 

Who  shall  say  how  many  noble  aspirations  and  unselfish 
plans  have  been  inspired  by  the  golden  record  of  that 
English  girl?  By  her  it  was  proved  that  youth  and  grace, 
education  and  gentleness,  charming  manners  and  winning 
person,  so  far  from  unfitting  woman  for  a  life  of  effective 
beneficence  among  homeless  and  suffering"  men,  only  render 
her  presence  and  attentions  all  the  more  powerful  for  good, 
by  tho  union  of  loveliness  with  efficiency,  and  by  combining 
the  graces  of  girlhood  with  the  dignity  of  the  matron. 

"  Day  unto  duy  her  dainty  hand* 

Make  Life's  uoilcd  temple*  clean. 
And  theru'n  a  wake  of  glory  whcro 
ilcr  spirit  pure  hutli  been. 

*'  At  midnight,  through  that  shadow  laud, 

Her  living-  fhcu  doth  gleam  ; 
The  dying  kiss  her  shadow,  and 
The  dead  smile  in  their  dream." 


MISS    MARIA    M.     C.     HALL.  399 

Thus  wrote  one  of  ICiighuid's  sweetest  poets  of  the  noblest 
of  British  heroines  ;  and  the  lined  might  have  been  written 
with  equal  justice  and  propriety  of  Miss  IIuH'd  labors,  from 
the  time  she  washed  the  blood  and  dunt  from  the  faces  of 
those  who  fought  at  Mauassas,  till  the  last  of  the  long 
procession,  of  famished  wretches  from  the  A.iidersonville 
stockade  had  tiled  through  the  wards  of  the  Annapolis 
Hospital. 

Krom  the  summer  of  !#(>!  till  the  summer  of  lti<>5  — 
four  long,  stem  yearn  —  Miss  Hall  thought  of  nothing,  and 
cared  for  nothing,  but  how  she  coiild  bo  most  useful  to  tho 
suffering  defenders  of  the  national  Union.  No  patriot  who 
shouldered  his  musket  at  the  successive  calls  of  our  presi 
dent,  felt  himself  more  thoroughly  committed  to  the  cause, 
or  waa  more  determined  to  march  and  fight,  so  long  as 
marching  and  fighting  remained  to  be  clone.  AVhilo  there 
woro  wounded  soldiers  to  he  nursed,  or  famished  prisoners 

to   be    fed, while    there    remained  a  hospital  that  could    bo 

made  houie-liko  by  tho  ministry  of  woman,  or  cheered  by 
her  song,  or  illuminated  by  her  smile,  —  there  might  bo 
found  for  her  iioblo  work,  happy  usefulness,  and  a  blessed 
mission. 

To  her,  with,  as  great  force  as  to  any  who  thus  devoted 
themselves  to  lives  of  loyal  charity,  can  bo  applied  tho 
words  which  an  old  l£iigiish  author  has  written  of  women 
iu  general  :  w  To  tho  honor,  to  tho  eternal  honor,  of  the  hex 
bo  it  recorded,  that  in  tho  path  of  duty  no  sacrifice  is  to 
them  too  high  or  too  dear.  Nothing  is  with  them  impos- 
siblo  but  to  shrink  from  love,  honor,  innocence,  uud 
religion.  Tho  voice  of  pleasure  or  of  power  may  paaa 


4OO  AX-OMEN"    OF    THE    AVAU. 

by  unheeded  ;  but  tho  voice  of  amictioii,  never  !  Tho  chamber 
of  the  sick,  tho  pillow  of  tho  dying,  tho  vigils  of  the  dcud, 
tho  altars  of  religion,  never  missed  the  presence  or  the 
sympathies  of  woman.  Timid  though  she  be,  and  so  deli- 
cute  that  tho  winds  of  heaven  may  not  too  roughly  visit  her, 
on  suc/t.  occasions  she  loses  all  sense  of  danger,  and  assumes 
a  preternatural  courage,  which  knows  not  and  fears  not 
consequences." 

In  tho  summer  of  1801,  when  those  who  were  wounded 
at  Bethel  and  Manassas  were  first  thrown  upon  tho  hands 
of  tho  medical  department,  there  was  a  disposition  very 
much  to  disparage,  and  practically  to  exclude  from  army 
labor,  all  females  who  were  not  very  plain,  very  practical, 
and  at  least  thirty  years  of  ago.  Alias  Dix,  whoso  long 
humanitarian  labors  had  entitled  her  opinion  to  much  weight, 
was  clear  that  army  iiursca  should  bo  simply  kind-hearted 
and  efficient.  If  they  were  sufficiently  advanced  in  years 
to  have  sons  or  grandsons  in  tho  army,  that  circumstance 
was  an  advantage  in  their  favor  whenever  application  was 
inado  to  bo  permitted  to  labor  for  the  soldier. 

Miss  Hall  found  all  these  vie\vs  its  to  the  proper  character 
of  hospital  nurses  adverse  to  her  own  employment.  Sho 
was  young,  cultivated,  aud  enthusiastic  ;  but  she  was  reso 
lute  in  her  intention. 

Mrs.  Fales,  of  Washington  city,  was  n.  lady  who,  during 
tho  long  struggle,  interested  herself  in  tho  soldier,  and  to 
her  Miss  Hail  applied  for  permission  to  visit  tho  sick 
and  wounded.  The  first  request  was  denied.  Mrs.  Fales 
shared  the  views  of  Miss  Dix,  that  youth,  grace,  and  talont 
were  poor  recommendations  for  a  hospital  nurse.  She 


MISS    MARIA    M.     C.     TTAT^T..  401 

tried  to  discourage  the  warui-Uoartcd  girl  by  tolling  her  that 
tho  work  to  bo  done  was  vary  plain,  very  practical,  and 
sometimes  repulsive  ;  that  the  men  were  dirty,  and  needed 
washing;  and  their  hair  was  ail  in  tangles,  and  must  ho 
combed  out  and  brushed  ;  that  they  wore  very  hungrj',  and 
cared  for  nothing  but  to  get  something  good  to  oat.  But  all 
these  representations  served  rather  to  stimulate  than  to  abate 
her  desire  to  go  and  work  among  thorn.  It  wua  only  more 
clear,  from  Mrs.  Fales's  account,  that  these  poor  fellows 
needed  nursing ;  and  tho  kind-hearted  woman  at  length 
yielded  to  tho  earnest  wishes  of  tho  noble  girl,  and  took 
her  to  tho  Indiana  Hospital,  which  was  established  in  an 
unfinished  wing  of  tho  Patent  OfHco.  "  Now,  girls,"  said 
sho  to  Miss  Hall  and  her  sister,  as  she  opened  the  door  of 
ono  of  tho  wards,  "  here  they  are,  and  everything  to  be  done 
for  them.  You  will  find  work  in  plenty." 

Tho  discouragements  and  annoyances  of  hospital  labor, 
as  Miss  Hall  found  it,  had  not  been  overstated  by  Mrs. 
Fales.  Tho  surgeons  afforded  few  or  110  facilities  for  tho 
successful  discharge  of  her  duties  ;  and  for  some  timo  sho 
•was  rather  tolerated  as  a  young  lady  who  had  a  whim  to  be 
indulged,  than  appreciated  as  a  true  and  earnest  worker. 
She  labored  for  nearly  a  year  at  tho  Indiana  Hospital,  being 
much  of  tho  timo  a  solitary  visitor,  and  all  tho  year  tho 
only  regular  and  persistent  worker.  For  a  part  of  tho 
timo,  rather  than  bo  turned  out  of  tho  hospital  as  a  volun 
teer,  after  tho  general  order  to  that  effect,  sho  was  enrolled 
as  "nurse,"  and  drew  army  pay.  This  service  at  tho  In 
diana  Hospital  lasted  for  a  year,  from  July,  1801,  to  July, 
18G2.  It  was  novcr  pleasant,  nor  ia  any  respect  fluttering. 
2G 


402  WOMEN    OF    TLLE    WAR. 

Sho  had  no  positiou  of  command.  Sho  was  not,  as  after 
wards,  the  head  and  centre  of  a  platoon  of  hospital  nurses, 
all  acting  under  her  advice,  and  subject  to  her  direction. 
But  the  duties  wore  assumed  in  a  spirit  of  genuine  loyalty 
and  self-sacrifice,  and  they  were  carried  through  with  un 
complaining  fidelity  and  patience  to  tho  end. 

In  the  summer  of  18G2,  Miss  Hull,  with  many  other 
ladies,  bore  a  part  in  tho  fatigues  and  disappointments  that 
attended  tho  close  of  tho  Peninsula  campaign.  She  went 
to  Harrison's  Landing  on  the  hospital  transport  Daniel 
"Webster  No.  '2,  and  at  one  time  remained  there  for  two 
•weeks.  In  that  position  she  met  and  cooperated  with  that 
indefatigable  and  most  admirable  army  worker,  Mrs.  Harris, 
and  conceived  tho  highest  admiration  for  11  character  where 
tho  zeal  of  the  Christian  missionary  seemed  to  be  united 
with  the  keenest  insight  and  tho  most  practical  sense. 

ITor  a  week  or  two  after  her  return  from  Harrison's  Land 
ing,  Miss  Hall  was  at  her  homo  in  "Washington,  having 
made  an  arrangement  to  go  out  with  Mrs.  Harris  as  soon 
as  there  should  be  an  urgent  /sail  from  tho  field. 

In  a  few  days  tho  battle  at  Aiitietaui  Creek  was  fought ; 
and  almost  before-  tho  result  of  that  long  and  bloody  strug 
gle  was*  known,  she  received  tho  telegram  from  Mrs.  Harris, 
"  Meet  mo  at  McClelluii'd  headquarters."  In  prompt  obe 
dience  to  the  call,  she  hurried  to  tho  front,  finding  much 
difficulty,  unattended  as  she  waa,  in  penetrating  tho  lines, 
and  was  unsuccessful  in  reaching  either  the  commanding 
general  or  her  friend  and  fellow-laborer.  As  night  waa 
closing  over  the  confused  and  bloody  field,  she  found  her 
self  at  a  hospital  where  most  of  tho  wounded  were  rebels, 


MISS    MARIA    M.     G.     1IAJLL,.  403 

whom  tho  rudo  fortunes  of  war  had  thrown  helpless  upon 
tlio  hands  of  tho  Federal  surgeons.  Xho  surgeon  in  ehargo, 
who  very  much  needed  assistance,  begged  Miss  Hall  to 
remain  and  nid  him.  This  she  was  reluctant  to  do,  both 
on  account  of  her  desire-  to  find  Mrs.  Harris,  and  becuuao 
sho  preferred  to  work  for  tho  loytil  sufferers.  liut  these 
objections  were  soon  overcome,  and  sho  entered  upon  her 
work. 

Olio  of  her  first  experiences  in  this  hospital  was  quite 
touching.  It  was  on  tho  morning  after  her  arrival.  Aa  aho 
entered  ono  of  tho  wards  tho  usual  night  met  her  oye.  A 
long  row  of  narrow  cots,  with  only  space  enough  between 
to  admit  tho  passage  of  an  attendant  and  surgeon  ;  men 
lying  very  quietly,  and  nothing  in  their  dress,  manner,  or 
language  to  indicate  which  side  they  had  taken  in  tho  recent 
bloody  struggle.  Sho  talked  a  little  while  to  a  wounded 
Union  boy,  and  gavo  him  eomo  writing  materials.  Sho 
then  spoko  to  another  sufferer,  and  served  him  in  a  similar 
manner.  On  tho  next  cot  was  lying,  very  quietly,  a  man 
of  a  settled  and  resoluto  countenance.  "  Would  you  like 
lo  have  writing  materials  also?"  said  Miss  Hall  to  him. 
"  It  wouldn't  bo  of  any  uso,  ma'am,"  was  his  quiet  reply. 
"Why  not?"  said  eho  ;  "  aro  you  wounded  in  tho  arm?" 
"  Yes,"  said  he,  "  in  tho  right  shoulder  ;  but  that's  not  tho 
only  reason."  "  Perhaps  I  can  write  for  you  ;  tell  mo  what 
to  say,  and  I  will  write  it  down."  "It  would  bo  of  no  use," 
was  his  reply.  "Why  not?  Isn't  thero  somo  ono  that  would 
like  very  much  to  hear  from,  you?"  "Yes,  indeed  ;  I  havo 
an  old  mother,  who  would  be  very  glad  to  hear  from  me  ; 
but  no  letter  would  roach  her  now."  "Yes,  I  think  it 


4O4  WOMJC  N"    OF    THJS     WAR. 

would,"  she  replied.  "  Uncle  Sam  can  take-  letters  any- 
where,  and  ho  gives  special  attention  to  the  letters  that  hia 
boys  write."  His  faeo  now  grew  more  sober  than  before, 
and  the  eyes  were  fixed  directly  on  tho  coiling.  "  Uiicla 
Sam  isn't  likely  to  do  much  for  mo,"  said  ho,  slowly  5  utul 
then,  unwilling-  for  a  gir>  to  sco  a  tear  upon  tho  cheek  of  a 
soldier,  ho  drew  tho  sheet  over  his  face,  and  added,  in  a 
half-smothered  voice,  "  my  mother  lives  in  South  Carolina." 
She  went  at  once  to  tho  surgeon  in  charge,  and  asked  if 
letters  could  not  bo  sent  to  South  Carolina  by  flag  of  truce  ? 
"  Certainly,  Miss  Hall,"  said  ho;  "  thero  is  no  diiiiuulLy  at 
all  about  it,  and  I  will  send  as  many  as  you  are  willing  to 
write."  Thero  was,  after  that,  no  discrimination  made  by 
her.  .A.  wounded  soldier  was  a  suffering  man,  no  matter 
whether  he  had  fought  under  Loo  or  McClellan.  Alias  Hall 
remained  at  thia  hospital  moro  than  a  week,  and  then  went 
to  the  hospital  of  French's  corps,  where  Mrs.  Harris  was  at 
work.  Hero  she  continued  another  week. 

In  tho  early  part  of  October,  all  tho  field  hospitals  that 
had  been  established  in  and  around  Aiitietam  were  broken 
up,  and  tho  wounded  conveyed  to  tho  General  Hospital  at 
Smokctowii,  then  in  charge  of  Dr.  Vaiiderkicft.  To  thia 
place  Miss  Hall  went,  and  labored  for  nearly  nine  months. 
Tho  special  diet  department  had  been  commenced  and 
systematized,  in  a  very  thorough  and  admimblo  manner, 
by  Miaa  Tyson,  of  Baltimore,  who,  however,  on  account 
of  failing  health,  ^vas  obliged  to  retire  from,  tho  field. 
Not  long  after  Miss  Hall's  arrival  there,  two  very  ex 
cellent  and  efficient  ladies  came  to  her  aid  from  Phila 
delphia —  Mrs.  Leo  and  Mrs.  Husband.  Between  these 


SfAKIA     M.      C.      IIAI.C..  4O5 

three  ladies  the  hospital  was  divided  into  sections,  each 
Imviiiir  from  two  to  thrco  hundred  patients  under  her 
charge.  Miss  Hall's  duties  hero  were  at  once  arduous  and 
monotonous  ;  but  as  they  wore  noblo  and  beneficent,  she 
was  moro  than  contented.  In.  tho  midwinter  Airs.  Loo  and 
Mrs.  Husband  went  down  to  tho  front,  at  Falmouth  ;  and 
from  January  till  May,  1863,  when  this  hospital  was  dis 
continued,  Miss  Hall  was,  for  tho  greater  part  of  tho  time, 
tho  only  lady  in  regular  attendance.  For  a  few  woeka,  in 
tho  summer  of  18G3,  she  was  at  home.  When  Gettysburg 
was  fought  she  was  very  solicitous  to  reach  tho  front,  and 
engage  in  iield  service  ;  but  not  meeting  with  any  encour 
agement,  she  yielded  to  tho  earnest  solicitations  of  Dr. 
Vaudcrkioft,  who,  having  become  thoroughly  impressed 
with  tho  excellence  of  her  service,  and  her  iino  administra 
tive  talent  at  Antiotam,  begged  her  to  come  to  Annapolis, 
whoro  ho  was  in  charge  of  a  General  Hospital,  and  coope 
rate  with  him  in  his  labors  there.  Although  much  prefer 
ring  service  at  tho  front,  she  went  to  Annapolis,  and  for 
two  years  —  from  midsummer  of  18(53  till  midsummer  of 
1865  —  her  labors  there  were  incessant,  her  vigilance  unceas 
ing,  and  tho  executive  ability  which  she  displayed  was  such 
as  to  command  the  admiration  of  every  person  iii  tho  corps 
of  hospital  workers,  and  of  all  who  visited  tho  establish 
ment.  Much  of  this  success  is  to  be  attributed  to  the  entire 
appreciation  and  hearty  approval  which  she  always  enjoyed 
of  Dr.  Vandcrkicft,  tho  surgeon  in  charge.  Upon  her  first 
going  there,  tho  doctor  gave  her,  as  ho  called  it,  a  separate 
command,  making  her  superintendent  of  section  number 
five,  embracing  all  the  hospital  tents  in  the  parade  ground. 


406  WOMEN    OF    THE     WAR. 

Her  immediate  assistant  hero  was  Miss  Helen  M.  Noyo,  of 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.  Miss  Noyo  was  a  person  who  fell  fur  short 
of  Miss  Dix's  idea  of  a  hospital  nurse,  being  very  much 
under  thirty  j'eara  of  nge,  enthusiastic,  graceful  in  person, 
and  winning  in  manners.  But  Miss  Hall  found  her  a  hearty 
worker  and  cheerful  assistant. 

During  the  time  that  she  was  in  charge  of  section  number 
five,  Mrs.  Tyler,  of  Baltimore,  was  lady  superintendent  of 
the  wards  in  the  building.  A  very  earnest  laborer,  think 
ing  nothing  done  while  anything  remained  undone,  her 
duties  -wore  upon  her  health  to  such  an  extent  that 
in  the  spring  of  1864  she  was  obliged  to  resign  her 
position  and  retire.  Miss  Hall  then,  became  lady  super 
intendent  of  the  entire  hospital.  At  times  there  were 
more  than  four  thousand  persons  under  her  care,  and 
although  she  had  from  ton  to  twenty  assistants,  to  whom 
separate  wards  were  assigned,  her  labors  of  visitation  wore 
as  unremitting  as  ever.  Her  mind  seemed  to  bo  in  all 
parts  of  the  hospital,  and  she  recollected  the  peculiarities 
of  almost  every  case.  Her  judgment  as  to  the  fitness  of 
her  assistants  was  unerring,  assigning  to  each  such  duties 
or  such  wards  as  she  was  best  fitted  for.  During  the 
latter  part  of  the  time,  a  groat  number  of  the  patients 
wore  those  wretched  victims  of  rebel  malignity  who  had 
come  out  alive  from  that  forever  infamous  concentration 
of  horrors,  the  Andersonville  stockade: 

Miss  Hall  describes  the  condition  of  these  unhappy  men, 
when  they  were  first  received  at  Annapolis,  as  in  the  last 
degree  pitiable  and  appalling.  Sometimes,  in  looking  at 
them,  she  would  find  herself  involuntarily  carrying  her 


MISS    MARIA    M.     O.     HALL.  407 

hand  to  her  check,  to  see  if  it  were  possible  that  their 
flesh  was  liko  hers,  human  and  vitalized.  The  combined 
effect  of  starvation,  cold,  aickncss,  and  filth,  hud,  in  many 
cases,  parched  the  skin  and  flesh,  so  that  they  looked  like 
mummies,  that  by  some  strange  witchery  had  been  evoked 
from  the  catacombs.  "They  seemed,"  she  says,  "to  have 
come  from  some  strange  outer  world,  some  horrible  land 
of  dimness  and  groans  ;  *a  land  of  darkness,  where  no  light 
is;'  a  world  where  the  comforts,  the  sympathies,  and  the 
hopes  of  common  life  are  utterly  excluded."  The  minds 
of  many  of  these  poor  creatures  had  boou  temporarily,  at 
least,  crushed  by  the  fearful  ordeal.  They  seemed  liko 
persons  awaking  from  some  long  and  horrible  nightmare, 
and  would  say,  in  their  plain;  but  touching  way,  "  Roys,  does 
'pear  strange  —  doti't  it? — to  boo  folka  moving  *bout  that 
are  white  and  clean?"  "I  declare,  boys,  it's  like  a  streak 
of  daylight  to  see  a  woman  moving  about  here."  "Boys," 
said  she,  one  day,  to  a  group  of  them,  "  how  did  you  live 
through  it?  I  would  have  supposed  that  the  last  one  of 
you  would  have  died  in  such  a  place."  Instantly  there  was 
a  chorus  of  answering  voices,  "  Because  wo  were  riy?itt 
MLssIIall  — because  we  were  right,  and  know  wo  were; 
that's  what  kept  us  alive."  Then  a  grim  old  Tenncsscean, 
with  a  shaggy,  weather-beaten  mat  of  yellow  beard,  added, 
"  'T\vas  the  flag  that  kept  us  up;  if  we'd  been  rebels,  wo 
should  all  have  perished  to  death." 

The  effect  of  this  life  upon  the  bad  was  to  make  them 
worse.  A  returned  prisoner  was  cursing  one  day  in  the 
hospital,  and  tho  surgeon  reproved  him,  saying  such  lan 
guage  was  not  permitted  there.  "  I  don't  care,"  said  he. 


408  WOMEN  OF  THE  WAR. 

"  But  I  should  suppose  that  you  would  respect  God  if  you 
didn*t  respect  men."  "  I'm  not  afraid  of  God,  nor  of  hell," 
said  he  ;  "  I  have  lived  through  that  stockade,  and  I  can 
live  through  hell." 

Others,  again,  were  brought  to  reformation  by  their  suf 
ferings.  Miss  Hall  was  one  day  passing  by  a  cot  of  a  poor, 
little,  fumishcd-lookiiig  boy,  who  turned  a  bright,  fine  eye 
upon  her,  and  seemed  to  wish  sho  would  speak  to  him. 
"I  think  it  has  done  mo  good,"  said  he;  "I  think  that  I 
shall  bo  a  better  boy  now  that  I've  got  out."  ff  This  is  a 
very  good  time  to  begin,"  said  she.  "I  have  begun 
already,"  ho  replied,  pulling  a  little  Testament  from  under 
the  edge  of  his  mattress;  "I  promised  my  God,  that 
if  ever  I  did  get  out  from  that  horrible  place,  I'd  never 
forget  him  any  more,  and  I  read  this  every  day." 


MRS.    GOVERNOR    HARVEY. 

IT  will  bo  a  long  time  before  tho  people  of  Wisconsin 
will  forget  tho  thrill  of  horror  which  pervaded  tho  entire 
stato  when  tho  sad  news  was  Hashed  over  the  wires  that 
their  honored  and  beloved  governor,  Lewis  P.  Harvey, 
was  drowned  at  Savannah,  Tennessee,  just  uftor  having 
completed  his  noblo  labors  in  behalf  of  tho  Wisconsin 
soldiers  who  had  been  wounded  at,  tho  battle  of  Pittaburg 
Landing,  on  tho  6th  and  7th  of  April,  1862.  Just  in  the 
prime  of  a  life  much  of  which  had  been  spent  in  honorable 
public  positions,  trusted  and  honored  as  few  men.  in  tho 
stato  were,  with  a  bright  future  before  him,  and  without  a 
blemish  on  his  past  career,  it  seemed  an  inexplicable  and 
bitter  providence  that  removed  him,  by  a  sudden  casualty, 
just  as  ho  was  returning  with  the  blessings,  heartfelt  and 
feelingly  expressed,  of  tho  sick  and  wounded  soldiers,  to 
whom  ho  had  been  a  very  angel  of  consolation. 

Deep  as  tho  affliction  was  to  tho  stato,  and  universally 
as  it  was  expressed,  thero  was  ouo  to  whom,  it  was  almost 
boyond  endurance  —  his  devoted  wife,  thus  suddenly  and 
cruelly  bereft.  What  hor  trial  was  110  ouo  can  toll  ;  but  it's 
result  showed  that  she  boro  it  as  few  women  would,  and 
proved  her  worthy  of  the  husband  sho  had  lost.  As  ho 
had  fallen  a  martyr  through  his  devotion  to  tho  welfare  of 

(400) 


410  WOMEX    OF    THIS    WAR. 

our  soldiers,  so  she  would  devote  her  energies  to  the  samo 
noble  cause. 

"Within  a  short  time  after  the  loss  of  her  husband,  she 
asked  and  received  the  appointment  of  st:ito  agent,  to 
visit  Wisconsin  soldiers  in  the  field  and  in  the  hospitals. 
The  state  had  but  a  few  of  these  agents,  but  they  wcro 
generally  very  faithful  laborers,  and  accomplished  an  im 
mense  amount  of  good.  lsroue  of  thorn,  however,  were 
able  to  do  as  much  as  Mrs.  Harvey.  Among  all  the  higher 
oiKcers  of  the  western  armies  her  position  and  tho  story  of 
her  terrible  affliction  were  known,  and  to  her  favors  wcro 
granted  and  privileges  given  which  110  others  could  obtain. 
Besides  her  ability,  her  experience  in  public  life,  her  man 
ners,  and  her  determined  energy  added  to  the  influence  sho 
otherwise  possessed. 

To  us  there  is  hardly  a  more  beautiful  or  romantic  epi 
sode  of  the  war  than  the  army  career  of  this  noble  woman, 
thus  waiving  her  widow's  right  of  pious  mourning,  leaving" 
all  tho  comforts  of  homo,  and  devoting  herself  for  years  to 
the  euro  of  our  sick  and  wounded  defenders.  Her  purpose 
once  made,  there  was  no  faltering  till  tho  end,  and  out  of 
the  depths  of  her  own  great  sorrow  she  gathered  strength 
to  console  thousands  of  afflicted  ones,  to  whom  sho  was 
mother,  guardian,  and  protector.  Of  tho  details  of  her 
work  we  arc,  unfortunately,  uuablo  to  speak.  Wo  can 
only  write  from  what  wo  have  heard  and  read,  and  that 
without  anything  more  distinct  than  a  general  knowledge 
and  recollection. 

The  story  of  her  army  life  has,  throughout,  tho  same 
general  features.  It  was  a  constant  succession  of  labors 


MRS.    GOVERNOR    HARVEY.  411 

involving  no  ordinary  endurance,  risks,  unpleasantness,  and 
care.  During  the  last  three  years  of  the  war,  wherever 
there  was  the  greatest  need  for  her  services,  —  whether  up 
the  Tonnoaseo  or  the  Cumberland,  at  Vicksburg,  Memphis, 
or  Helena,  on  the  White  River  or  the  Arkansas,  in  the 
field  or  in  the  hospitals,  —  there  Mrs.  Harvey  was  to  bo 
found,  energetically  working  with  her  whole  might  for  our 
suffering  soldiers.  A  friend  who  know  her  long  before  tho 
war,  and  watched  her  labors  in  the  army  with  tho  greatest 
interest,  has  told  us  something  of  tho  manner  in  which 
sho  worked. 

He  says  that  ho  never  saw  man  or  woman  in  the  army 
who  was  more  entirely  inwrapped  in  the  noble  work  she  had 
undertaken.  Her  earnestness  was  something  extraordinary, 
and  made  everything  yield  before  it.  AVere  there  dif 
ficulties  in  the  way  of  providing  necessaries  or  comforts  for 
tho  men  in  hospital,  sho  would  insist  on  them  in  such  a 
way  that  every  one  cither  became  imbued  with  her  spirit  or 
for  tho  timo  yielded  as  before  an  irresistible  forco.  They 
must  bo  had,  ovon  if  red-tape  were  cut  a  hundred  times. 
AVas  a  boat  needed  to  remove  tho  sick  from  an  unhealthy 
place,  the  military  authorities  wore  naked  for  it,  in  tho 
name  of  humanity,  in  such  a  manner  that  a  refusal  was 
well  nigh — impossible. 

Officers  of  tho  better  class  so  confided  in  her  judgment, 
and  so  honored  her  philanthropic  heroism,  that  they  cheer 
fully  gavo  her  what  to  others  would  have  been  denied. 
Those  who  were  disposed  to  deny  her  requests  soon  came 
to  learn  her  persistence  and  determination,  and,  as  well, 
that  she  could  and  would  appeal  to  tho  powers  above  them, 


412  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

generally  with  success.  Our  informant  has  heard  of  inoro 
than  one  case  where  the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers  wero 
rescued  from  the  bad  manage nient  of  subordinate*  officers 
in  charge  of  hospitals  through  her  strenuous  ctlbrts.  The 
same  qualities  which  gave  her  such  power  for  good  in  tho 
army  were  of  the  greatest  service  to  tho  soldiers  in  another 
way.  Her  representations  to  the  governor  —  a  noble  and 

worthy  successor  to  her  husband's  ofiico were  always 

heeded,  and  tho  action  of  the  executive  was  based  on 
them,  as  all  tho  Wisconsin  officers  well  knew. 

By  the  bedside  of  hundreds  of  dying  soldiers  she  was  a 
minister  of  Christian  consolation,  her  very  lifo  a  most 
eloquent  proof  of  tho  reality  of  the  faith  she  would  havo 
them  accept.  She  was  preacher  and  mother  in  one,  and 
the  two  sacred  characters  wero  beautifully  blended.  It  was 
her  rare  combination  of  womanly  refinement  and  softness, 
of  an  earnest  and  loving  Christian  spirit,  and  of  unusual 
business  and  administrative  qualities  that  enabled  her  to 
perform  a  work  such  as  wo  believe  was  accomplished  by  no 
one  else  in  similar  circumstances  in  tho  army.  Others 
were  equally  devoted,  earnest,  and  enduring;  but  in  uono 
was  such  a  variety  of  qualifications  so  united. 

The  close  of  the  war  brought  110  change  in  her  purpose. 
Its  close  did  not  terminate  tho  countless  sufferings  that  grow 
out  of  it,  nor  the  need  of  philanthropic  effort  for  tho  suf 
ferers.  Of  all  these,  tho  class  that  were  most  innocent, 
most  helpless,  and  most  needing  help,  were  "tho  orphans 
of  the  war;"  and  in  their  behalf  Mrs.  Harvey  began  a  new 
work  of  love,  as  soon  as  the  fighting  had  virtually  ceased. 
A  friend,  who  was  an  officer  iii  our  army,  and  long  an 


MRS.    GOVERNOR    HARVETT.  413 

intimate  acquaintance  of  Mrs.  Harvey,  met  her  in  May, 
18G5,  at  Memphis,  us  sho  was  about  beginning  this  work, 
and  gives  us  a  few  interesting  facts. 

Ho  writes,  ff  I  met  Mrs.  Harvey  oil  board  the  steamer 
Luminary,  tit  Memphis,  in  the  latter  part  of  May,  18G5. 
I  had  not  seen  her  since  her  husband's  death,  and  was  at 
first  sadly  struck  by  the  groat  change  in  her  appearance. 
I  had  known  her  as  a  leader  of  the-  best  society  at  the  state 
capital,  accomplished,  full  of  buoyant  life  and  spirits  ; 
not  at  all  gay,  but  always  cheerful  ;  interested  in,  and 
thoroughly  understanding,  tho  state  and  national  politics  ; 
fresh,  vigorous,  and  in  the  enjoyment  of  life's  best  gift. 
She-  had,  in  tho  few  years  of  her  afHictioii  and  unceasing 
labors,  become  almost  entirely  changed,  as  it  first  seemed 
to  me.  There  was  much  more  than  tho  mourning  suit  to 
show  how  her  great  loss  had  borne  upon  her.  Subdued, 
3'et  with  no  loss  of  latent  energy,  and  altogether  indifferent 
to  aught  but  tho  work  to  which  she  had  devoted  herself, 
she  appeared  at  least  a  dozen  years  older  than  when  I  had 
seen  her  last,  in  18<>2  ;  and  well  she  might,  for  in.  tho  in 
terval  she  had  compressed  tho  work  of  a  lifetime.  Sho  had 
with  licr  a  half  dozen  young  children  —  'orphans  of  the 
\YI\T  '  —  whom  sho  had  brought  with  her  from  Vicksburg, 
not  knowing  how  sho  would  provide  for  them,  but  trusting 
that  provision  would  in  somo  way  bo  luado.  They  had 
fallen  into  her  care,  and  had  110  0110  elso  in  tho  wido  world 
to  look  out  for  them.  That  was  sufficient  to  establish  their 
claim  on  her  protection.  They  \vcro  to  bo  tho  first  inmates 
of  her  Home  for  liko  helpless  ones,  which  sho  had  then 
determined  to  found  at  tho  state  capital.  There  was  some- 


414  WOMEX    OF    TITE     WAR. 

thing1  very  beautiful  to  me  in  the  sight  of  this  woman,  so 
bereaved  by  the  war,  taking  home  with  her  these  little  suf 
ferers  by  its  calamities,  from  the  once  stronghold  of  those 
who  brought  it  on.  She  went  to  Wisconsin,  and  appealed, 
through  the  press  and  personally  iu  behalf  of  her  project, 
with  such  effect,  that  the  purpose  and  prayer  of  her  heart 
have  become  a  visible  and  beneficent  fact.  The  Homo  has 
been  established.  Mrs.  Ilarvey  is  its  efficient  superintend 
ent,  and  is  to-day  as  assiduous  in  her  labors  as  she  was  iu 
the  field.  She  could  not  be  more  so." 


MISS    AMY    M.    BRADLEY. 

MISS  BRADLEY'S  work  of  charity  and  self-sacrifice 
co  in  EU  cue  eel  oil  the  1st  of  September,  1861,  a  few 
weeks  after  the  first  battle  on  Maiiassas  Plains.  The 
sufferings  of  our  sick  and  wounded  had  uot  then  scut  their 
strong  appeal  to  the  hearts  of  the  noble  and  the  charitable 
all  over  the  laud.  She  went  out  to  seek  as  well  as  to  save. 
Her  first  position  in  the  aruiy  was  as  nurse  in  the  Third 
Maine  volunteers.  She  left  Kast  Cambridge,  in.  Massachu 
setts,  on  the  28th  of  August,  and  entered  upon  that  long 
series  of  labors  for  the  soldiers  —  labors  that  varied  with  the 
demands  of  the  hour,  and  with  the  shifting  scenes  of  war; 
labors  which  took  in  the  whole  welfare  of  our  suffering 
patriots,  and  mot  their  calls  for  aid  in  every  form. 

Her  early  experience  in  the  army  was  by  no  means 
repulsive.  She  was  fortunate  in  her  associations,  for 
the  colonel  of  the  Third  Maine  was  at  that  time  O.  O. 
Howard,  that  Christian  gentleman  and  Christian,  soldier, 
the  llavelock  of  the  war.  She  found  the  journey  over  the 
road,  where  so  many  of  our  brave  men  had  so  recently 
passed,  pleasant  and  full  of  interest.  Arriving  in  Wash 
ington,  sho  started  at  four  in  the  afternoon  for  the  scene  of 
her  duty. 

"  Very  pleasant,"  she    writes,  "  did   I    fiud   the    ride   along 


416  .  WOMEX    OF    THE     WAR. 

the  banks  of  the  beautiful  Potomac,  now  studded  with  tho 
whito  tents  of  our  army,  and  protected  by  forts  Runyon, 
Jackson,  and  Ellsworth,  tho  latter  being  near  our  encamp 
ment.  Twilight  found  mo  safo  with  the  regiment,  and 
surrounded  by  old  familiar  faces. 

"  It  was  tea  time,  and  the  band  was  playing  a  lively 
national  air.  I  was  ushered  into  the  tent  by  our  worthy 
surgeon,  and  introduced  to  Colonel  Howard,  the  lieutenant- 
colonel,  the  adjutant,  Mrs.  Sampson  tho  matron,  and  Miss 
Graves,  who,  like  myself,  is  a  nurse  in  the  hospital. 

**  "When  we  were  seated  at  tho  table  Colonel  Howard 
meekly  bowed  his  head  and  asked  our  Father's  blessing 
upon  the  food  before  us.  What,  thought  I,  is  this  the 
rough  life  of  the  camp,  which  has  so  often  been  pictured 
to  me?  It  reminds  mo  more  of  a  camp-meeting,  only  more 
quiet." 

Her  work  commenced  almost  immediately  upon  her  ar 
rival,  on  tho  1st  of  September.  "  I  shall  not  soon  forget 
that  day,"  she  has  written  in  her  hospital  journal.  "  Dr. 
Palmer  called  at  my  tent  in  tjio  morning,  — a  bright,  sun 
shiny  Sabbath  morning,  —  and  asked  me  if  I  would  like  to 
accompany  him  through  tho  hospital  tents.  My  hut  was 
quickly  donned,  and  wo  started.  He  was  intending  to 
select  some  of  tho  sickest  ones,  that  morning,  to  bo  sent  to 
the  General  Hospital  at  Alexandria. 

"  There  were  four  largo  hospital  tents,  filled  with  fever 
cases,  resulting  from  exposure  at  tho  loiig-to-be-remcmbered 
battle  of  Bull  Run.  They  were  lying  on  mattresses  placed  on 
the  ground.  How  sick  they  looked  !  No  comfortable  beds 
or  soft  pillows.  It  was  terrible  to  eeo  !  Wo  passed  through 


MISS    AMY    M.     BRADLEY.  417 

tho  first  lent,  tho  doctor  prescribing  for  each  in  turn.  In 
tho  second  were  sufferers  very  delirious.  Those  the  surgeon 
proposed  sending  to  Alexandria.  As  we  stood  by  tho 
side  of  one  poor  fellow,  I  spoko  to  him.  Ho  looked  up 
with  a  lost  expression,  as  though  he  never  heard  that  voice 
before.  *  Would  you  like  to  have  anything  ?'  said  I.  Ho 
looked  up  \vildly,  as  before,  and  supposing  that  he  was  to 
start  011  some  journey,  said,  f  I  would  like  to  see  my 
mother  and  my  sisters  before  I  go  home.*  I  burst  into 
tears,  and  said,  '  Please,  doctor,  do  not  send  him  away,  but 
let  me  take  caro  of  him  for  his  mother  and  sisters  until  ho 
goes  home! '  for  I  know  by  his  looks  ho  could  live  but  a 
few  days.  So  it  was  decided  that  ho  should  remain,  tho 
doctor  saying,  '  If  that  is  what  you  came  for,  wo  will  give 
you  plenty  of  work.  I  havo  another  boy  in  a  similar  con 
dition  in  another  tent.  I  will  havo  him  brought  in  here, 
and  you  may  tako  caro  of  him  for  his  mother.  If  ho  lives, 
you  shall  havo  tho  credit  of  saving  htm.' 

"  Thus  I  commenced  my  work.  William  (whom  I  had 
known  when  a  boy,  in  Gardiner,  Maine)  lived  ;  but  my 
first  patient,  young  Campbell,  died  a  few  days  after. 

w  All  the  worst  cases  of  fcvor  wcro  brought  to  me  ;  and, 
from  tho  first  drum-beat  ill  tho  morning  till  the  last  at 
night,  I  was  busy  enough,  and  very  happy  to  know  that  I 
was  ablo  to  alleviate  tho  sufferings  of  many. 

"  At  tho  end  of  September  Colonel  Howard  was  pro 
moted  to  brigadier-general,  and  Dr.  Palmer  to  a  brigade 
surgeon.  Dr.  Brickett  was  made  surgeon  of  tho  Fifth 
Maine  volunteers,  and  I  was  transferred  with  him.  I  had 
been  two  weeks  with  the  regiment,  and  had  got  tho  hospital 
27 


418  WOMEN*    OF    TIIE    WAR. 

in  a  fine  condition,  tho  Maine  people  having  sent  us  soino 
two  or  three  dozen  of  bed-cots  ;  and  I,  availing  myself  of 
an  offer  in  a  note  Mr.  F.  N.  Kiiapp  wrote  me  soon  after  I 
arrived  in  tho  Third  Maine,  had  drawu  bedding,  pillows, 
dressing-gowns,  jellies,  <£c.,  from  the  Sanitary  Commission, 
when  General  Slocum  came  to  visit  the  hospital.  'How  is 
this,  Dr.  Brickett,'  said  he,  '  that  your  boys  ;u-<t  so  much 
more  comfortable  than  those  of  tho  other  regiments  in  the 
brigade?'  '  O,f  said  the  doctor,  'we  have  got  a  Maine 
woman  here  who  understands  how  to  take  care  of  the  sick. 
She  has  drawn  these  things  from  the  Sanitary  Commission, 
and  has  arranged  the  whole  with  some  of  the  nurses'  assist 
ance.'  fl  can't  have  any  partiality  in  my  brigade,'  said  the 
general.  '  Give  my  compliments  to  Miss  Bradley,  doctor, 
and  tell  her  I  should  be  happy  to  have  her  take  charge  of 
the  sick  of  the  brigade.  I  will  take  tho  Powell  House  and 
the  Octagon  House,  that  are  empty,  a  short  distance  from 
here,  where  we  will  move  them  all  ;  and  tell  her  I  would 
like  to  have  her  go  there  and  make  a  homo  for  uiy  boys.' 

"  Of  course  I  accepted.  Did  it  not  widen  my  sphere  of 
usefulness?  How  grateful  I  was  to  our  kind-hearted  gen 
eral  for  allowing  mo  the  privilege  of  caring  for  his  boj's  ! 
The  surgeons  immediately  made  requisitions  for  iron  bed 
steads,  straw  bed-ticks,  —  about  seventy-five,  tho  number 
our  two  houses  would,  hold,  and  I  made  another  requi 
sition,  on  the  United  States  Sanitary  Commission,  for 
quilts,  blankets,  sheets,  pillow-cases,  shirts,  drawers,  tow 
els,  £c.  As  tho  government  had  made  no  arrangements 
for  brigade  hospitals,  supposing  tho  sick  from  tho  various 
.regiments  would  bo  sent  to  general  hospitals,  these  things 


MISS     AMV    >r.     BKADLEV.  419 

could  not  bo  obtained  in  sufficient  quantities  to  supply  a 
hospital  like  ours;  and  here  I  learned,  as  early  as  Novem 
ber,  1861,  that  a  Commission  like  this  was  necessary  as  an 
auxiliary  to  government,  and  could  be  the  means  of  miti 
gating  a  vast  amount  of  suffering,  and  saving  very  many 
valuable  lives." 

On  tho  15th  October  the  sick  from  the  various  regiments 
were  convoyed  to  tho  places  designated  by  tho  commander 
of  the  brigade,  and  there  Mius  Bradley  established  her  head 
quarters,  taking  with  her  two  boys  from  tho  Fifth  Maine  — 
one  to  act  us  orderly,  and  the  other  to  cook.  She  found  a 
negro  family  living  in  a  cabin  in  tho  rear,  and  old  Aunt 
Hagar  agreed  to  furnish  milk,  and  do  tho  washing  for  tho 
hospital.  The  boys  from  the  different  regiments,  detailed 
to  carry  out  her  wishes,  commenced  their  work  in  earnest, 
and  soon  this  **  Homo,"  tho  first  established  in  any  part  of 
tho  army,  assumed  an  appearance  of  comfort  and  cheer 
fulness. 

Tho  Powell  House  was  just  across  the  road  from  the  first 
encampment  of  the  Third  Maine,  and  there  commenced  Miss 
Bradloy's  experience  as  hospital  nurse.  A  peculiarity  of 
her  service  from  the  first  was  tho  deep  personal  interest  she 
felt  in  her  patients.  Her  feeling  towards  a  sick  soldier  was 
not  that,  here  is  suffering  that  I  can  alleviate,  or,  hero  is  ono 
of  our  brave  defenders  to  bo  made  well  as  soon  as  possible 
and  sent  to  tho  front  again ;  but,  this  is  ray  boy  Charley  ;  I 

think  I  can  savo  him  ;  ho  over  there  is  George  ;  ho  ia 

very  sick,  but  if  nursing  can  save  him,  ho  shall  not  die. 

Of  the  patients  in  tho  first  little  hospital  at  tho  Powoll 
House  sho  speaks  thus  :  — 


42O  WOMEN"    OF   Tire    WAR. 

"In  the  room  at  my  right  arc  six  very  ill.  Do  you  see 
their  pale  faces?  Three  have  typhoid  fever:  the  two  so 
emaciated  have  passed  the  crisis,  and  ho  with  the.  large 
blue  eyes  has  congestion  of  the  luugs.  How  my  heart 
aches  for  them  I  In  the  room  opposite  are  four,  three  from 
the  Mozart  regiment ;  and  that  shadowy  form,  the  fourth, 
has  been  my  patient  since  my  arrival,  one  month  ago.  Ho 
is  rapidly  recovering,  after  having  been  reduced  very  low 
•with  typhoid  fever.  Sometimes  I  am  a  little  sad  that  I  am 
left  behind,  and  surrounded  by  strange  regiments  ;  but  it  id 
only  momentary,  for  I  note  the  light  which  beams  in  tho 
faces  of  tho  sick  ones  as  I  enter  the  room." 

This  hospital  was  in  operation  all  winter  till  the  15th  of 
March,  when  tho  brigade  was  ordered  to  move  on  to  Centre- 
ville,  that  place  having  been  evacuated  by  the  rebels. 
During  this  time  Miss  Bradley  kept  a  private  record  of  all 
the  patients,  and  particularly  of  each  death  that  occurred, 
and  she  seems  to  have  taken  a  personal  and  vivid  interest 
in  a  great  number  of  the  sick. 

Tho  first  death  that  occurred  was  in  November.  Of 
the  circumstances  that  attended  tho  decease  she  speaks  thus 
feelingly  :  — 

**  My  first  patient,  Charles  G.  Nichols,  died  of  diphtheria. 
I  feel  very  sad.  I  did  not  count  on  losing  any  of  my  boys  ; 
but  alas  !  the  best  of  nursing  cannot  save  them.  His 
disease  was  too  far  advanced  before  he  came  into  the  hos 
pital.  He  suffered  very  much,  and  was  loath  to  have  me 
leave  him  for  a  moment.  He  could  not  lie  down  at  all. 
The  night  he  died  I  talked  with  him  about  his  coming  disso 
lution.  He  seemed  willing  to  depart.  He  had  been  a 


MISS    AMY    M.    BRADLEY.  421 

professor  of  religion  for  some  years.  On  inquiring  for 
bis  friends,  I  found  his  mother  was  own.  cousin  to  my 
brother-in-law,  and  that  I  viaited  her,  with  my  sister  and 
her  husband,  tho  year  before  I  eamo  out.  How  strange  that 
I  should  be  the  one  to  minister  to  him,  and  to  bo  able  to 
care  for  him,  and  make  hid  last  hours  as  happy  as  possible  ! 
They  have  voted  in  our  regiment  to  raise  money  enough  to 
sond  homo  tho  body  of  every  one  who  dies.  We  have  had 
our  Charley  nicely  packed  in  suit  and  saltpetre.  There  is  n 
hot-house  near  by  ;  so  I  have  purchased  some  delicate 
flowers,  and  placed  them  around  his  pale  face.  How 
beautiful  he  looks  asleep  in  death  !  Wo  shall  meet  again. 
I  have  telegraphed  to  his  friends  in  Damariscotta,  Maine, 
as  I  found  letters  from  them  among  his  effects." 

A  few  days  after  she  makes  tho  following  entry  in  her 
journal,  which  throws  a  flood  of  light  upon  the  character 
and  the  motives  of  tho  writer  : 

'*  Many  are  the  letters  I  write  for  the  dear  soldiers  under 
my  care,  to  their  friends  ;  and  deep,  earnest,  heart-letters 
do  I  receive  in  return,  filled  with  thankfulness  that  I  am. 
permitted  to  watch  over  them.  But  methiuks  there  is  not 
ouo  among  them  who  feels  more  thankful  than  docs  Amy 
herself.  How  happy  I  am  in  tho  performance  of  my 
duties !  Although  I  siifler  fearfully  in  losing  a  patient, 
still  I  am  glad  that  my  Father  gives  mo  strength  from  day 
to  day  to  administer  to  their  wants,  and  cheer  them  in  tho 
absence  of  nearer  friends.  I  lost  several  dear  boys  the 
month  I  was  in  the  Third  regiment  of  Maine  volunteers." 

Ono  of  thcso  "  dear  boys,"  whoso  life  she  labored  to  save 
with  as  much  assiduity  as  if  he  had  been  an  only  brother, 


422  WOMEIf    Of    THJS    WAB. 

was  Walter  H.  Davis.  The  account  of  his  sickness  and 
death  is  so  touching,  and  so  admirably  illustrates  the  char 
acter  of  Miss  Bradley,  that  wo  give  tho  affecting  story 
entire,  as  she  wrote  it  in  her  journal  at  tho  time.  Ho 
belonged  to  company  C  of  tho  Fifth  Maine  regiment.  "  Ho 
wzis  sick  several  weeks  ;  disease,  typhoid-pneumonia.  IIo 
was  a  darling  boy,  so  patient  when  ho  suffered  so  much  I 
How  his  great  blue  eyes  would  brighten  when  I  opened  the 
door  to  enter  his  room  !  Once,  I  remember,  I  hud  beon 
gone  all  day  to  tho  Octagon  House  (where  a  largo  number 
from  tho  Sixteenth  T\Tew  York  are  sick}.  "When  I  returned 
it  was  evening ;  I  immediately  went  to  seo  my  sickest 
patients.  When  I  asked  him  'if  they  had  taken  good  care 
of  him  in  my  absence/  he  answered,  'Yes,  but  not  as  good 
care  as  you  do.'  And  when  I  said,  *  Why  not?'  ho 
aus\vercd,  while  a  faint  smile  irradiated  his  heavenly  coun 
tenance,  'They  don't  lovo  mo  as  well  as  you  do/  Truo, 
too  true  is  it,  that  after  having  watched  and  cared  for  them 
so  long,  I  love  than  as  */~  they  were  my  own  children. 
Poor  fellows!  why  shouldn't  I  love  them?  Away  from 
every  fond  heart,  how  they  do  yearn  for  sympathy  and 
kind  words  !  A  soldier's  life  is  a  hard  one,  and  woo  bo 
unto  me  if  I  do  not  strive  to  alleviate  their  sufferings,  and 
make  them  feel  that  one  heart  is  full  of  pity  and  lovo 
towards  them.  I  am  almost  sick  from  the  loss  of  this  dear 
child  ;  I  felt  that  I  could  not  give  him  up.  For  fifteen  days 
after  the  surgeons  said  he  could  not  live  the  day  out,  I  kept 
him  alive  by  giving  him  nourishment  and  stimulants,  or, 
as  Dr.  Burr  called  it,  ' giving  him  doses  o/"  atick-to-him .' 
That  day  he  was  in  great  distress,  so  that  his  groans  could 


MISS    AMY    M.     BllAHLEY.  423 

be  heard  nil  over  the  house  ;  the  blood  was  settling  under 
the  finger-nails,  and  the  doctors  said  mortification  was 
taking1  place  in  the  bowels.  I  cried  bitterly,  and  said  I 
could  not  have  him  die.  When  ho  would  look  up  with  his 
great  eyes  and  Bay,  'Don't  cry  for  me,  don't  cry  1 '  I  was 
almost  distracted.  I  prepared  mustard,  aud  covered  his 
bowels,  wrist,  and  feet,  and  gave  him  brandy  frequently, 
when,  to  the  surprise  of  all,  the  pain  subsided,  his  feet  and 
bands  became  warm  again,  and  the  doctors,  when  they 
came  next  morning,  were  astonished  to  find  him  alive  and 
apparently  button.  Fifteen  days  after  that  ho  lived  j  but 
vain  were  my  efforts  I  Or.  'Brickett  said  his  lungs  were 
entirely  broken  down.  Human  skill  or  kindness  could  not 
save  him.  lie  died  !  —  and  another  link  bound  me  to  the 
spirit  world.  Beautiful  in  life,  in  death  his  countenance 
was  almost  seraphic.  A  more  finely  moulded  face  I  have 
never  seen  ;  a  broad,  high  forehead,  noso  purely  Grecian, 
with  an  exquisite  mouth  and  chin.  Flowers  the  most  rare 
wore  thickly  strewn  around  tho  body.  lie  looked  too 
beautiful  to  lay  away  in  the  dust ;  but  such  is  the  decree. 
Tho  funeral  ceremony  was  most  affecting.  The  entire  com 
pany,  with  the  band,  attended  tho  corpse  to  tho  express, 
and  my  beautiful  adopted  boy  was  sent  to  his  own  mother. 
Did  ahe  feel  worsa  than  Amy  did  ?  " 

On  tho  lOth  of  March  tho  brigade  was  ordered  to  Ccu- 
trevillo.  Five  days  after,  tho  hospital  was  broken  up  and 
tho  patients  moved,  some  to  Alexandria  and  some  to  Fair 
fax  Seminary. 

Early  in  April  Miss  Bradley  went  forward  with  the  divis 
ion  to  Warrenton  Junction.  After  various  ad.v.enturea, . — 


424  WO1LELN    OF    THE    WAR. 

some  of  a  rather  exciting"  character,  in  crossing  Bull  Run, — - 
sho  remained  about  a  week  at  Manassas,  aiid  on  the  13th 
the  order  came  to  return  to  Alexandria  and  proceed  to 
Yorktown. 

During-  the  two  weeks  that  followed,  "long,  dreary" 
weeks,"  she  calls  them,  sho  was  awaiting  orders  to  pro 
ceed  with  tho  command  to  Yorktowii,  at  tho  end  of  which 
time  she  offered  her  services  to  the  Sanitary  Commission. 
On  tho  2d  of  May  she  went  to  Washington,  and  found  Mr. 
F.  L.  Olmstead,  of  the  Commission,  had  gone  to  Yorktown. 
Sho  saw  Dr.  Jenkins,  and  hoped  her  offer  would  bo  ac 
cepted.  Tho  doctor  telegraphed  at  once,  and  on  tho 
afternoon  of  Sunday,  the  4th  of  May,  tho  message  came  : 
"Send  her  to  Yorktown  immediately."  On  tho  day  follow 
ing  sho  took  the  cars  for  Baltimore,  stopped  at  the  Eutaw 
House,  and  embarked  for  Fortress  Monroe,  in  company 
with  a  party  of  surgeons  and  dressers.  Miss  Dix  was  011  tho 
same  boat.  The  day  following  they  were  at  Fortress  Mon 
roe,  and  the  next  day  after  Miss  Bradley  was  made  lady 
superintendent  of  tho  floating  hospital  Ocean  Queen,  which 
had  been  assigned  to  the  use  of  the  Commission.  Sho  took 
on  board  about  a  thousand  patients.  Several  ladies  were 
designated  to  assist  her  in  tho  labor  of  nursing  and  care  for 
so  many  sufferers  on  their  way  to  New  York,  among-  whom, 
as  very  efficient  workers,  Miss  Bradley  mentions  Mrs. 
Hyde  and  her  lovely  daughter  Estelle.  This  cargo  of  suf 
fering  humanity  was  taken  to  New  York  ;  from  thence  tho 
sickest  were  transferred  to  Bedlow  Island,  and  tho  others 
to  the  General  Hospital. 

On  the   21st  of  May  she  had  returned  to  White  House,  and 


MISS    AMY    M.     BRADUEY.  425 

was  assigned  to  the  Elm  City,  where  she  found  several 
ladies,  among  whom  were  Miss  Gardner,  Miss  Wheddon, 
Mrs.  Strong,  and  Mrs.  Balusticr,  engaged  in  tho  work  of 
relief.  Hero  commenced  tho  most  strenuous  and  tho  most 
painful  service  she  had  as  yet  seen.  For  tho  crowded  and 
tragic  clays  that  followed,  when  tho  magnificent  army  of 
McClellaii  was  being  trailed  through  tho  mire  of  the  Chick- 
ohominy,  and  pounded  to  pieces  in  tho  seven  days'  battles, 
tho  journal  of  Miss  Krudloy  is  very  full,  and  gives  an 
excellent  picture  of  her  labors,  and  tho  spirit  in  which  they 
were  performed. 

"For  several  days,"  she  writes,  "wo  had  boon  working 
admirably  on  tho  Klin  City,  when,  about  nine  o'clock  of  tho 
26th  of  May,  wo  received  orders  to  transfer  all  our  patients 
and  stores  to  the  steamboats  L.  li.  Spauiding  and  Knicker 
bocker,  as  tho  quartermaster  must  have  our  boat  immedi 
ately.  Tho  night  was  dark,  but  orders  must  bo  obeyed  : 
tho  majority  of  tho  sick  were  conveyed  to  the  Spauiding, 
some  twenty  of  tho  feeblest  to  tho  Knickerbocker,  and  the 
next  day  tho  Spauiding  started  with  her  freight  of  human 
souls  for  Now  York,  taking  some  of  our  best  nurses  with 
her.  Mrs.  Balustior,  Miss  Gardner,  and  myself  wore  trans 
ferred  to  tho  Knickerbocker.  Hero  wo  found  Mr.  Olm- 
steatl,  Mr.  Knapp,  Mrs.  Ilowlund,  Miss  Woolscy,  Mias 
\Vormley,  Miss  Gilson,  from  Chelsea,  Massachusetts,  and 
others.  Mrs.  Balustier  and  I  had  a  consultation,  and  con 
cluded  our  services  would  not  bo  needed  there  :  so  wo 
decided  to  ask  permission  to  go  ashore,  and  work  among 
the  thousands  left  by  tho  army  aa  it  advances.  Mr.  Knapp 


426  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAR. 

approved  the  plan,  and  agreed  to  pitch  a  tent,  and  niuko 
arrangements  for  us  to  work  for  the  sickest  ones. 

"*  Wednesday,  May  28,  was  ashore  all  day;  carried  sonic 
canned  chicken,  some  crackers,  some  brandy,  cologne,  &c., 
and  distributed  them  amongst  the  sickest.  Returned  to  the 
boat  towards  evening,  when,  as  I  went  aboard,  I  met  Air. 
Olmstead,  who  told  mo  ho  wished  me  to  take  charge  of  the 
Knickerbocker,  and  put  her  in  order  to  receive  wounded 
men  from  the  battle  of  Fair  Oaks.  I  objected  ;  ho  insisted, 
and,  of  course,  carried  his  point,  as  ho  was  to  decide  all 
things,  being  at  the  head  of  this  enterprise. 

"The  next  morning,  the  29th,  Mr.  Olmstead  and  his  party 
returned  to  the  Wilson  Small.  The  Knickerbocker  was  in 
a  very  filthy  condition,  and  there  were  several  state-rooms 
filled  with  soiled  clothes,  that  were  exceedingly  offensive. 
The  surgeon  in  charge,  Dr.  Swan,  requested  me  to  arrange 
matters  to  suit  myself,  furnishing  mo  with  all  aid  necessary. 
First,  then,  these  clothes  must  be  counted  and  sent  ashore 
to  be  washed  ;  four  girls  (colored)  to  be  hired  to  wash  on 
board  the  boat,  so  that  no  more  should  accumulate.  Done. 
Second,  see  the  captain  of  the  boat,  and  have  the  crew, 
with  the  assistance  of  attendants,  clean  the  boat.  They 
went  to  work  with  a  will.  Mr.  Knapp  promised  me  bed- 
cots  to  nil  the  saloon  on  the  main  deck  and  lower  one ; 
promptly  they  were  sent.  There  was  a  large  quantity  of 
clothing  on  board  :  this  I  arranged  myself,  so  that  I  could 
know  where  to  find  each  article  needed.  Meantime  Mrs. 
Balustier  left  for  home,  sick,  and  Mrs.  Annie  Etheridge, 
of  the  Third  Michigan,  reported  for  duty.  How  faithfully 
she  labored  !  We  divided  a  little  saloon  at  the  forward 


MISS     AMY    M.     BRAI>LETr.  427 

part  of  tho  boat,  leaving  six  berths  on  one  side,  and  six  on 
the  other,  milking  two  rooms,  the  one  occupied  by  the 
surgeon  and  his  staff,  tho  other  by  us. 

"Sunday,  June  1,  found  us  nearly  ready,  our  boat  clean, 
our  beds  set  up,  and  clothing  arranged  in  order.  About 
four  P.  M.  tho  wounded  began  to  arrive.  I  shall  never 
forgot  my  feelings,  as,  one  by  one,  those  mutilated  forms 
wcro  brought  iu  on  stretchers,  aud  carefully  placed  ou  thoso 
comfortable  cots.  '  What/  said  I,  'must  I  see  human  beings 
thus  mangled?  O,  my  God,  why  is  it?  why  is  it?'  For 
nearly  an  hour  I  could  not  control  my  feelings.  But  when 
tho  surgeon  said,  '  Miss  Bradley,  you  muat  not  do  so,  but 
prepare  to  assist  thcso  poor  fellows,'  I  realized  that  tears 
must  bo  choked  back,  and  tho  heart  only  know  its  own 
suffering  !  fiction  was  tho  watchword  of  tho  hour.  Then 
Amy  was  horself  again.  Wo  received  more  than  three 
hundred,  some  very  badly  wounded.  Ouo  poor  fellow, 
shot  through  tho  bowels,  suffered  tho  most  excruciating 
torture,  calling  constantly  for  water  :  his  thirst  seemed  in 
satiable.  Ho  died  beforo  morning. 

w  It  was  past  midnight  beforo  they  were  all  fed  and  com 
posed  for  rest.  Weary  aud  sick  at  heart,  I  sought  my 
pillow.  Suiiriso  found  us  up,  however,  and  ready  to  wash 
aud  dress  tho  wounds  of  tho  sufforors,  and  change  their 
battle-stained  garments  for  clean  hospital  clothing.  One 
solitary  rebel  was  among  the  number  of  our  "wounded.  IIo 
lay  on  tho  floor  at  tho  side  of  the  boat ;  AVO  were  obliged  to 
place  many  along  tho  side,  the  boat  was  so  crowded.  As  I 
was  distributing  the  breakfast  that  moruing,  —  my  table 
was  but  a  few  feet  from  where  he  was  lying, — my  atton- 


428  WOMEX    OP    THE 

tion  was  attracted  by  a  number  of  the  attendants,  who  were 
collected  there,  talking  to  him,  and  by  their  language,  I 
found  their  feelings  were  none  of  the  kindest.  About 
cloven  o'clock  A-  M.  I  took  a  turn  through  tho  bout,  to 
see  if  all  had  been  properly  attended  to,  and  if  there  was 
anything  more  they  needed  for  the  present  to  mnko  them 
comfortable.  All  seemed  satisfied,  and  exceedingly  grate 
ful  for  the  attention  they  hud  received  from  the  surgeons, 
dressers,  and  nurses.  The  upper  saloon  hud  hccm  divided 
into  two  wards,  with  Miss  Grilson  and  Mrs.  Ktheridgo  in 
charge  ;  tho  lower,  under  Miss  Gardner  and  her  attendant, 
Ellen, — a  noble-hearted  Irish  girl,  who  never  wearied  in 
her  labor  of  love,  —  with  Mrs.  Reading,  assistant  dresser. 

"When  I  came  to  tho  'rebel,'  I  stopped  as  I  had  to 
others,  and  bade  him  good  morning.  Ho  was  shot  through 
tho  left  wrist ;  the  arm  and  hand  were  fearfully  swollen  and 
inflamed  :  his  face  was  flushed  ;  his  breakfast  lay  untouched 
by  his  side.  Mo  said,  in  answer  to  my  inquiry,  f  My  arm 
pains  me  very  badly.'  'Can't  you  eat  your  breakfast?'  *I 
have  no  appetite.'  'Has  your  wound  been  dressed?'  rTho 
doctor  has  not  been  along  yet.'  I  called  a  colored  boy 
(who  assisted  me),  and  bade  him  pull  off  tho  wounded 
man's  boots,  and  bathe  his  feet.  I  brought  a  basin  of  cool 
water,  washed  his  face  and  hands,  and  poured  somo  upon, 
tho  wound,  tolling  him  that  tho  doctor  would  soon  bo  there. 
Ho  thanked  mo  more  with  his  countenance  than  with  tho 
words  ho  uttered,  though  they  expressed  pain  relieved  and 
a  grateful  heart.  His  name  was  William  A.  Seawall,  com 
pany  H,  Eighth  Alabama  regiment ;  his  home  in  Mobile, 
Alabama.  In  the  afternoon  the  surgeon  in  charge  called 


MISS    AiTT    M.     BRADLEY.  429 

me  aside,  and  said,  '  Miss  Bradley,  are  you  aware  that  you 
are  subjecting"  yourself  to  severe  criticism?'  I  started, 
surprised  :  'Why,  what  have  I  done,  doctor?'  'Don't  be 
alarmed,'  said  ho,  smiling  to  see  mo  so  excited  ;  '  it  is  your 
attention  to  that  rob  over  there.  I  think  you  had  better 
not  do  anything1  moro  for  him,  for  many  aro  criticising  you 
very  sovoroly,  and  I  am  afraid  it  will  do  you  harm,  holding 
the  position  you  do.f  *  Doctor/  said  I,  '  I  profess  to  bo  a 
Christian,  and  my  Bible  teaches  ine,  if  my  oiiomy  hungers,  to 
feed  him  ;  if  ho  is  thirsty,  to  gave  him  drink  :  that  poor  boy 
is  -wounded,  and  suffering  intensely  ;  ho  was  my  enemy, 
but  now  ho  needs  my  aid.  If  I  obey  not  the  teachings  of 
tho  Saviour,  I  am  not  a  triio  disciple.  I  shall  certainly  see 
that  ho  is  cared  for  with  tho  rest.'  f  Very  well,'  said  he, 
'you  have  my  advice,  and  can  do  as  you  please.'  'If  you 
wish  to  criticise  and  blamo  mo,  I  cannot  help  it  ;  I  shall  do 
my  duty,  and  take  care  of  my  enemy,'  I  replied.  So  I 
attended  to  my  Secesh  boy.  Onco,  while  talking  with  him, 
I  found  that,  though  wounded  and  a  prisoner,  his  feelings 
were  very  bitter  towards  tho  North  ;  still  I  saw  that  his 
wants  were  supplied  with  tho  rest,  for  tho  attendants  had 
neglected  him  from  tho  beginning. 

"Tuesday  morning,  tho  3d,  wo  wore  ordered  to  tako  our 
wounded  to  Newport  News.  As  I  was  passing  whero  Sea 
wall  lay,  ho  called  to  mo 'Mother,  como  hero  a  minute.' 

I  approached  him  :  he  put  out  his  hand,  which  I  took,  and 
said,  whilo  tears  welled  up  to  his  eyes,  '  Mother,  you  have 
conquered  mo!'  'What?'  said  I.  'You  have  conquered 
mo,'  ho  replied  ;  '  if  I  get  well,  I  will  never  raise  my  baud 
against  tho  North  again  ;  for,  if  I  should,  I  should  raiso  it 


I 

430  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

against  you  ;  and  that  I  could  never  do,  after  your  kindness 
to  me.'  I  blessed  him  for  the  good  tidings,  with  tears  run 
ning  down  my  chocks,  for  joy  that  I  was  ablo  to  do  my 
duty  amidst  reproach,  and  reap  the  reward,  not  only  in  the 
consciousness  of  divine  approval,  but  in  winning  one  rebel 
by  gospel  measures  to  the  side  of  truth  and  right.  I  related 
my  interview  to  the  surgeon,  and  told  him  they  might 
talk  on  ;  it  would  do  no  harm  ;  I  had  conquered  the  rebel 
by  obeying  the  golden  rule." 

These  labors  upon  the  hospital  transports  continued  till 
the  termination  of  the  Peninsula  campaign  and  the  removal 
of  the  army  to  Acquia  Creek.  During  this  time  Miss 
Bradley  was  lady  superintendent  on  the  Knickerbocker  and 
on  the  Louisiana,  though  sometimes  engaged  temporarily 
on  the  Daniel  Webster  and  other  transports. 

On  several  occasions  she  was  on  board  the  truce  boat 
-which  went  up  to  receive  the  wounded  who  had  fallen  into 
the  hands  of  the  enemy  ;  and  we  find  several  touching  inci 
dents  in  her  journal,  110110  perhaps  more  affecting  than  the 
following  :  — 

"  Our  third  trip  to  City  Point  was  successful  ;  wo  filled 
our  boat  with  the  poor  sufferers.  How  glad  they  were  to 
see  once  more  the  old  flag,  and  meet  kind  friends  !  Sev 
eral  died  soon  after  they  wero  brought  on  board.  Our 
surgeon  performed  a  number  of  amputations,  which  I  wit 
nessed  ;  one,  in  particular,  I  shall  not  soon  forgot.  The 
subject  was  a  lad  of  some  nineteen  years,  a  delicate-looking 
boy,  who  had  been  shot  in  the  upper  part  of  the  right  arm, 
near  the  shoulder.  He  was  very  patient,  and  could  not 
bear  the  thought  of  losing  the  arm.  His  appetite  was  poor, 


MISS    AMY    M.     BRADLEY.  431 

and  it  was  evident  that  ho  ftiilcd  daily.  Tho  doctor  said 
ho  must  examine  the  wound.  Ho  talked  with  tho  little  fel 
low,  and  finally  obtained  his  consent  to  bo  put  under  tho 
influence  of  chloroform,  though  not  with  tho  intention  of 
amputating-  tho  arm,  for  ho  was  not  sure  that  it  would  !io 
neccasary  to  do  that.  Rut  tho  causa  of  tho  daily  decline  of 
boy's  health  waa  quickly  made  evident.  Tho  bono  near  the 
shoulder-joint  was  badly  fractured,  and  mortification  was 
commencing.  Tho  arm  must  come  oft*,  or  ho  could  not  live 
long ;  but  tho  little  fellow  had  not  expected  that.  Should 
we  arouse  him  and  tell  him,  or  should  it  bo  done  at  once,  as 
it  would,  have  to  be  dono  anyhow?  All  said,  f  Do  it  now; 
it  will  bo  better  foi  tho  lad  in  tho  end.'  A  fow  minutes 
and  the  shoulder-joint  had  been  unlocked,  tho  arm  taken 
off,  the  skin  neatly  closed  over  tho  bone,  every  sign  of 
blood  removed,  and  our  hero,  all  unconscious  of  tho  opera 
tion,  restored  to  consciousness  again.  £  wish  you  could 
have  heard  our  noble  surgeon  as  he  prepared  him  for  tho 
loss  of  that  good  right  arm.  lie  told  him  that  ho  had  ox- 
amiiicd  it,  and  found  tho  bono  sadly  fractured  ;  ho  explained 
tho  necessity  for  amputation,  —  that  he  must  die  if  it  was  not 
done, — talking  so  gently,  and  with  tho  sympathy  of  a  noble 
heart,  till  nt  last  ho  said,  'Yes,  you  may  take  it  off.'  Tho 
doctor  asked  him  if  it  pained  him  as  badly  ns  over,  and 
began  to  call  his  attention  to  tho  arm  ;  told  him  what  had 
been  our  consultation,  and  at  last  our  decision.  Tho  effect 
for  a  moment  was  most  distressing ;  ho  turned  as  pale  as  if 
ho  were  dead.  \Vo  thought  for  an  instant  ho  would  dio  ; 
but  the  soothing  words  and  voico  of  tho  doctor  brought 
tho  color  again  to  his  lips,  and  tho  brightness  to  his  eye  ; 


woamif  OF  THE  WAR. 

and,  thanks  to  that  gray-haired,  whole-hearted  surgeon,  our 
pet  rallied  from  that  moment.  In  a  few  days  there  was  a 
visible  improvement ;  and  when  wo  transferred  him  ho  was 
in  a  fair  way  to  recover. 

"Many  were  very  fcoblo,  and  I  found  that  milk  punch 
worked  wonders  with  them.  I  told  the  boys,  when  their 
faces  would  brighten  as  I  approached  their  bedside,  that  it 
was  no  doubt  the  '  snifters '  which  I  brought.  Those  wero 
days  of  labor  and  happiness  !  We  had  excellent  officers 
and  attendants,  and  all  enjoyed  life  as  much  as  possible." 

After  three  trips  in  truce  boats,  Miss  Bradley  was  on  the 
steamer  which  took  the  sick  from  Harrison's  Landing  to 
Philadelphia.  This  was  in  the  early  part  of  August.  Here 
she  lost  the  aid  of  one  of  the  most  efficient  of  her  co-workers, 
Mrs.  Etheridgo,  who  returned  to  the  regiment  in  which 
her  husband  was  enlisted.  "While  the  boat  was  coaling  in 
Philadelphia,  she  met  her  whole-souled  friend,  Philip  East- 
wick,  whom,  she  had  known  as  a  noble  laborer  in  tlio  early 
part  of  the  campaign,  went  with  him  to  see  some  of  her 
patients  that  had  been  removed  some  weeks  before,  and 
writes  in  her  journal,  "How  glad  they  were  to  see  me 
again  !  " 

Returning  now  on  the  final  trip,  about  the  middle  of 
August,  she  saw,  with  melancholy,  the  evacuation  of  the  last 
strip  of  territory  on  the  James  which  had  been  gained  at  a 
cost  of  fifty  thousand  men.  When  this  laat  ship-load  of 
the  sick  from  the  Peninsula  was  discharged,  Miss  Bradley 
wart  for  a  few  days  unoccupied,  and  recruited  her  health, 
that  had  been  much  worn  by  labors  so  strenuous  and 
protracted. 


MI88    AMY    M.     BRADUBT.  433 

Bat,  early  in  September,  her  rest  was  over,  and  wo  find 
her  transferred  to  another  branch  of  the  sanitary  service, 
not  quite  ao  painful  as  had  been  her  experience  on  the 
Peninsula,  yot  requiring  more  administrate vo  talent  and 
firmer  executive  and  business  qualities.  To  this  service  she 
brought  tho  samo  warm  heart  and  the  same  clear  head  that 
had  made  hor  so  admirable  in  tho  hospitals  and  on  tho 
transports. 

The  Commission  had  found  a  great  and  growing  demand 
for  a  Soldiers'  Home  in  Washington  —  a  house  where  the 
private  soldier,  often  moneyless  and  always  homeless,  could 
go  and  remain  a  few  days  while  awaiting  orders  ;  where  the 
slightly  sick  and  tho  convalescent  could  find  tho  care  and 
comfort  thoy  needed  ;  whoro  old,  soiled  clothing  could  be 
exchanged  for  new,  and  tho  old  bo  washed ;  a  place  with 
books,  and  newspapers,  and  music,  and  cheerful  looks  and 
words,  sanctified  by  tho  presence  of  woman,  and  not  un 
worthy  of  tho  sacred  name  which  was  applied  to  it.  Mr. 
Knnpp  requested  Miss  Bradley  to  tako  charge  of  tho  Home, 
put  it  in  good  order,  act  as  its  matron  or  lady  superin 
tendent,  and  administer  its  hospitalities.  She  accepted  tho 
invitation,  and  in  a  letter  to  her  sister  gives  the  following 
account  of  tho  institution  and  tho  manner  in  which  she 
organized  and  conducted  it. 

wTho  Homo  is  for  all  soldiers  discharged  from  tho  ser 
vice  and  awaiting  the  settlement  of  their  accounts  with 
government ;  for  those  who  fall  sick  on  their-  marches,  and 
those  of  tho  new  regiments  who  are  taken  sick  whilo  pass 
ing  through  the  city.  A.  great  number  of  those  admitted 
must  remain  each  a  few  days,  and  wo  can  accommodate  about 
28 


434  "WOMEN    OF    TIIE    "WAR. 

ono  hundred  and  twenty  comfortably.  When  these  poor 
veterans  oomo  in,  weavy  and  ragged,  shirtless  and  with 
soiled  raiment,  Amy  has  the  privilege  of  giving  them  clean, 
\varm  clothing  for  theirs,  so  torn  and  dirty  ;  of  feeding 
them,  and  sending  them  on  their  way.  Mrs.  Murray  has  the 
charge  of  the  culinary  department,  and  occupies,  with  her 
help,  the  first  lloor.  I  have  charge  of  the  rest.  Mr.  J.  J3. 
Ahhott,  iv  very  efficient  and  just  man,  is  the  superintendent. 
I  have  two  colored  girls,  who  do  the  chamber-work,  and 
an  Irish  girl  for  the  washing  and  ironing.  I  find  leisure  to 
visit  other  hospitals,  and  do  a  great  deal  of  good,  I  hope." 

In  one  of  these  trips  of  hospital  visitation  she  found  a 
collection  of  sick  and  convalescent  soldiers  at  the  MRest,"  and 
reporting  their  condition  to  Mr.  Knapp,  a  reprimand  from 
the  medical  director  to  some  careless  subordinate  was  tho 
result.  Tho  person  thus  censured  said  "  they  would  move 
them,  over  tho  river,  where-  these  women  couldn't  get  to 
them,  and  they  wouldn't  havo  tho  privilege  of  reporting  oil 
them  again."  Miss  Bradley  remembered  this  speech,  and 
a  few  days  after,  armed  with  a  pass  from  General  AVads- 
worth,  she  made  her  way  out  to  <f  Camp  Misery,"  near  Fort 
Ellsworth,  and  found  there  suffering  and  discomfort  such 
as  she  had  not  seen  before.  During  September,  October, 
and  December,  18G2,  besides  her  duties  at  tho  Homo,  which 
•were  always  admirably  discharged,  she  made  frequent  visits 
to  this  camp,  and  drew  stores  from  tho  Sanitary  Com 
mission,  and  distributed  them  there  with  her  own  hands. 

Tho  energy  and  discretion  sho  thus  displayed,  and  tho 
interest  sho  manifested  in  tho  soldiers  there,  directed  tho 
attention  of  tho  Sanitary  Commission  to  her  as  tho  most 


MISS    AMY    M.     BRADLEV.  435 

proper  person  to  bo  trmdo  their  special  relief  agent  at  Gump 
Distribution. 

This  was  located  near  Alexandria,  and  about  nino  miles 
from  Washington.  Frequent  inspections  and  reports  had 
failed  to  reform  its  sanitary  and  social  condition.  From 
the  nature  of  things  it  was  eminently  a  place  of  discomfort. 
Hero  was  sent  tho  soldier  who  hud  been  discharged  from 
hospital ,  but  was  not  quite  able  to  shoulder  his  musket  and 
inarch  to  his  regiment ;  the  soldier  whoso  health  and  spirit 
were  broken,  and  who  was  awaiting  hia  discharge  papers. 
Others  were  hero  who  had  received  their  papers,  with  tho 
word  "Deserter"  branded  in  rod  ink  across  tho  back,  yet 
who  wero  conscious  of  having  discharged  tho  duty  of  a  sol 
dier,  and  who  deserved  well  of  their  country.  Some  wero 
very  poorly  supplied  with  clothing,  having  but  a  single 
cotton  shirt  in  the  cold  nights  of  Into  November. 

In  the  noto  from  Mr.  Ivnapp,  releasing  Miss  Bradley 
from  tho  stipcrtiitondciicy  of  tho  Home,  in  order  that  she 
might  dovoto  herself  to  the  alleviation  of  Camp  Distribu 
tion,  he  says,  "  Will  you  please  to  show  Mrs.  E.  all  your 
methods  by  which  you  huvo  made,  and  continue  to  keep, 
tho  Homo  so  neat  and  well  ordered?" 

Alias  Brudloy'a  labors  at  Camp  Distribution  as  special 
relief  agent  of  tho  Sanitary  Commission,  were  more  difficult, 
and  required  a  better  order  of  ability,  than  any  to  which  sho 
had  yet  been  called  ;  but  whatever  tho  talent  or  ability 
required,  it  was  not  found  wanting  when  tho  demand  was 
made.  During  this  period  of  twelve  months,  one  hundred 
and  eleven  thousand  eight  hundred  and  twenty-five  soldiers 
entered  tho  camp  in  passing  from  tho  military  hospitals  to 


436  WOMEX    OF    TILE    WAR. 

their  respective  regiments,  or  to  their  homes,  on  certificates 
of  permanent  disability.  To  these  soldiers  Miss  Bradley 
distributed  a  vast  amount  of  commissary  stores,  yet  with 
judgment,  and  after  ascertaining,  by  personal  knowledge, 
tho  wants  of  each. 

She  arrived  on  the  17th  of  December.  On  the  21st, 
when  tho  soldiers  were  all  assembled  in  lino  for  inspec 
tion,  she  passed  around  with  the  officers,  and  supplied 
seventy-five  men  with  woollen  shirts,  working  on  the  prin 
ciple  of  supplying  only  tho  very  needy.  She  soon  had  a 
hospital,  and  began  to  iiursp  such  poor  fellows  as  she  had 
gathered  from  those  whom  the  doctors  had  pronounced  well 
men.  Others  sho  found,  "whose  discharge  papers  had  been 
lying  in  tho  office  for  some  time.  But  tho  men  were  too 
feeble  to  stand  in  tho  cold  and  wet  and  wait  their  turn. 
She  carried  them,  to  her  hospital,  and  warmed  and  clothed 
them,  applied  for  their  papers,  and  sent  them  into  Wash 
ington,  on  their  way  homo. 

From  May  1  to  December  31,  18G3,  nearly  all  tho  sol 
diers  discharged  from  service  in  tho  camp  -were  conveyed 
by  her  to  the  Commission  Lodges  at  Washington.  Tho 
number  thus  kindly  aided  was  over  two  thousand.  \Vlieii 
it  is  remembered  that  tho  majority  of  these  men.  woro  suf 
fering  from  incurable  disease,  prostrated  in  strength,  and 
rendered  highly  sensitive  to  all  the  trials  and  exposures  of 
transportation,  tho  value  of  Miss  Brad  ley's  labors  majr  be, 
to  some  extent,  appreciated ;  but  a  few  passages  from  her 
journal  at  Camp  Distribution  will  illustrate  the  character  of 
this  uncommon  and  most  admirable  service. 
."December  31,  1862.  —  Since  the  establishment  of  my 


MISS    AMY    M.     BRADLEY.  437 

hospital,  forty  havo  been  admitted.  Those  Imvo  been 
washed  (wo  have  a  nice  bath-tub,  which  I  bought  with 
some  money  a  lady  gavo  mo  to  buy  crutches),  and  havo 
received  clean  clothes  in  place  of  the  soiled  ones  which 
they  wore.  I  havo  a  wash-house,  and  a  man  detailed,  who 
washes  the  clothes  as  fast  as  they  come  out  of  the  hospital. 
My  whole  establishment  —  my  office,  one  cook  tent,  two 
hospital  tents,  bath-room  (a  wedgo  tent) ,  wash-room  (a 
•wall  tent) — is  all  in  good  working  order.  The  officers 
havo  been  very  kind,  and  I  feel  with  the  new  year  I  may 
begin  a  work  which  will  bo  a  blessing  to  the  suilering  in 
this  camp,  and  a  credit  to  tho  United  States  Sanitary 
Commission. 

"  Tuesday,  January  20,  18(»3. — ^fter  attending  to  my 
patients  in  hospital,  started,  with  my  three  discharged  boys 
in  my  ambulance,  for  Washington.  At  Long  Bridge  over 
took  another  poor  fellow.  Took  him  in,  and  proceeded  to 
tho  Lodge.  Mr.  Abbott  there  took  charge  of  the  two 
feeblest  ones,  and  I  started  for  iSIajor  Poiueroy's  office  and 
Major  ITolman's  with  the  others.  Quo  received  his  pay. 
Tho  other  was  charged  with  desertion,  and  concluded  to 
return  to  his  regiment,  to  clear  himself  of  tho  charge. 
Poor  fellow  !  how  I  pitied  him  !  I  then  took  them  in  my 
ambulance,  and  carried  them  to  tho  Home,  whero  T  bado 
them  good  by  ;  thenco  to  tho  medical  director,  Dr.  Abbott, 
to  ascertain  what  a  soldier  must  do  when  ho  loses  hid 
discharge  papers.  Ho  was  very  kind,  and  gavo  mo  the 
information.  Returned,  and  wroto  to  Mrs.  Jacob  11.  S., 
N.  Oyster  Bay,  Long  Island,  whoso  husband  had  lost 
his  papers. 


438  WOMEX    OF    THE     AVAR. 

**  32c/.  —  This  morning'  made  au  appeal  to  tho  president 
of  one  of  tho  Examining  Boards  in  behalf  of  tho  sick  boya 
in  my  hospital.  It  touched  his  heart,  and  notwithstanding 
the  regular  labors*  of  tho  day  pressed  upon  him,  he  agreed 
to  conio  uftcr  examination  hours.  lie  came,  and  dis 
charged  several.  God  bless  Dr.  Hunt  I  I  had  seen  him 
before,  and  worked  with  him  among  tho  wounded  in  tho 
Peninsula." 

From  December  23,  1802,  to  April  1,  18fi3,  tho  names 
of  thoso  who  entered  her  little  sanitary  hospital,  with  their 
company,  regiment,  state,  character  of  disease,  and  re 
marks  on  each  'case,  were-  carefully  recorded  by  her,  and 
it  appears  that  in  that  time  she  took  euro  of  ono  hundred 
and  thirty  patients,  of.whom  only  fifteen  died. 

In  some  of  these  sufferers  she  took  a  deep  and  touching 
interest.  Ono  fine  boy,  from  Massachusetts,  interested  her 
very  much,  and  she  did  all  that  caro  and  skill  could  to  sava 
his  life  ;  but  it  was  in  vain. 

On  tho  21st  of  February  sho  writes  thus  affectingly 
about  him  :  

ct  My  darling  boy,  Greenwood,  died  at  four  P.  M.  His 
father  arrived  about  two  hours  prior  to  his  death.  Ho  was 
perfectly  sensible,  and  on  being  told  ho  could  livo  but  a 
few  hours  longer,  replied,  "  If  I  must  dio,  I  dio  in  tho 
cause  of  God  and  nvy  country."  Ho  was  wounded  in  tho 
left  cheek  by  a  miiiio  ball,  during  tho  battlo  of  Antietam, 
and  was  in  hospital  in  !Ncwark,  Now  Jersey,  nearly  four 
months,  when,  instead  of  discharging  him,  as  was  the  sur 
geon's  duty,  ho  was  cruelly  sent  to  this  camp.  Cumo  from 
AVashingtoii,  in  a  tough  snow-storm,  January  28  ;  stood 


MISS    AMY    M.    BRAJJLET.  439 

with  a  squad  tit  tho  receiving  office  till  ho  was  thoroughly 
chilled,  beforo  his  imrao  was  recorded.  Ilia  discharge 
papers  were  mud  a  out  tho  next  day  after  ho  arrived  ;  but 
tho  cold  ho  took,  coming  through  that  storm  settled  on  his 
luugs,  and  in  three  wceka  after  his  arrival  tho  noble  boy 
passed  to  tho  spirit-land.  Tho  discharge  papers  came  the 
day  beforo  ho  died.  Xoo  lato  !  Only  tho  lifeless  body  was 
his  aged  father  permitted  to  carry  to  his  homo  in  Hub- 
bardston,  Massachusetts." 

Labors  and  experiences  like  these  consumed  tho  whole 
of  that  memorable  year  18(J3.  Miaa  Bradley  had  her  hos 
pital  full  of  tho  sick.  Almost  every  day  she  took  soldiers 
in  her  ambulance,  and  with  them  went  to  tiie  different 
offices  in  Washington,  aiding  each  olio  to  obtain  or  correct 
his  papers,  as  each  case  differed  ;  and,  whoa  these  arduous 
and  vexatious  labors  wcro  concluded,  she  passed  her  oven- 
lugs  mostly  in  writing  to  tho  friends  of  tho  sick  and  of  the 
dead  tho  most  complete  and  satisfactory  account  of  their 
sickness  and  all  its  symptoms,  and  tho  circumstances  and 
last  words  of  tho  death-beds. 

When  it  is  remembered  that  such  labors  were  wholly 
gratuitous,  and  bestowed  upon  those  who  had  no  claim 
upon  her  sympathy  and  love,  more  than  being  soldiers  in 
tho  cause  of  our  common  country,  and  bestowed  in  the 
iiamo  and  for  tho  sake  of  the  loved  ones  they  had  left  in 
their  distant  village  homes,  truly  wo  may  say  of  devotion 

ao  uncommon, 

"  Earth  haa  Angela,  though  thuir  forma  are  moulded, 

fashioned  of  clay,  like  all  thing*  here  below ; 
Though  harps  are  wanted,  and  bright  piniona  folded, 

"Wo  know  them  by  the  love-light  on  thuir  brow." 


44O  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAR. 

Ou  tho  last  day  of  tho  }rear,  Miss  Bradley,  in  a  report  to 
the  special  relief  agent  of  tho  Sanitary  Commission,  gives 
a  review  and  summary  of  these  labors,  which,  aside  from 
its  intrinsic  interest  as  an  illustration  of  her  character,  is 
valuable  as  a  guide  to  tho  zeal  of  those  who  aspiro  to  a 
similar  distinction  in  tho  walks  of  beneficence. 

<e  Tho  changes  in  this  camp,"  she  "writes,  "  have  been 
numerous  and  extensive  since  my  establishment  here.  "Wo 
have  hardly  a  single  officer,  surgeon  or  soldier,  now,  that 
was  present  on  my  arrival.  To  labor  systematically  and 
with  effect,  where  such  important  changes  are  constantly 
talcing  place,  is  difficult.  How  have  I  succeeded?  Let 
us  see. 

**  First,  then  :  What  was  I  to  do  ?  I  had  devoted  myself 
to  the  general  duty  of  alleviating  tho  sufferings  of  tho  sol 
diers  of  tho  Union.  To  accomplish  this  most  effectually,  I 
must  work  upon  a  system.  Now,  what  shall  this  system 
be?  Can  rules  bo  established  at  once?  I  found,  after  a> 
few  days  of  effort  and  embarrassment,  that  they  coiiid  not. 
You  will  ask,  'Why  not?'.  Briefly  I  answer,  Because 
any  plan  of  mi  no  which  proposed  an  established  routine, 
would  operate,  or  attempt  to  operate,  in  the  midst  of  a  gen 
eral  anarchy.  System  there  was  none,  in  any  department, 
military,  commissary,  quartermaster,  or  medical.  State 
agents  came  with  their  stores  of  clothing,  and  gave  them 
out  profusely,  without  any  investigation  as  to  whether  tho 
recipient  was  needy  or  otherwise.  Tho  Commission  had 
sent  agents  who  had  poured  down  their  stores  by  the 
wagon-load,  and  these  articles  of  clothing  had  been  used 
once,  and  when  soiled,  thrown  upon  tho  ground,  and  left 
to  rot  by  tho  thousands. 


MISS    AMY    M.     BRADLEY.  441 

"  I  entered  upon  my  duties  as  soon  ns  the  cnnip  was 
moved  to  its  present  location,  on  tho  17th  of  December, 
186*2.  Tho  soldiers  were  in  tents  ;  no  barracks  had  been 
erected.  Many  I  found  sick,  and  stretched  on  tho  almost 
frozen  ground  in  midwinter,  with  only  a  suit  of  ragged 
and  fever-soiled  clothes  and  ono  army  blanket,  with  no 
nourishment  that  they  could  take,  or  that  was  suitable  for 
sick  men.  What  did  I  do?  Did  I,  ns  somo  others  have,  sit 
down  and  prepare  a  fearful  communication  to  tho  New- 
York  Tribune,  making  bitter  complaints  of  tho  Sanitary 
Commission,  and  accusing  tho  commanding  officers  of  neg 
lect  and  iiicompetciicy, that  tho  quartermaster  did  not 

furnish  clothing,  and  the  surgeons  left  their  patients  to 
languish,  and  finally  to  dio  on  tho  bare  ground?  This 
was  not  my  plan.  Did  I  givo  indiscriminately  from  tho 
abundant  supplies  of  clothing  to  every  man  that  asked  ? 
Not  so. 

** Making  out  a  requisition  in  form,  I  drew  a  quantity  of 
woollen  shirts,  and  on  Sunday  morning,  at  inspection,  I 
went  with  tho  officer,  and  found  in  tho  lino  of  men,  on  that 
damp  and  chilling  day,  011  tho  banks  of  tho  Potomac,  in 
midwinter,  sevcnty-fivo  with  only  thin  cotton  shirts.  To 
those  I  gavo  wtirm  llaimols  at  once  ;  and  over  since  tho 
really  needy  havo  been  supplied.  Then  I  wont  through  tho 
sick  tents,  and  immediately  after  sought  an  interview  with 
tho  commanding  officer,  told  him  my  plan,  and  asked  for 
hospital  tents.  These  wero  at  once  pitched  and  floored. 
Stoves  wero  placed  in  them,  and  tho  sick  collected  nml  mudo 
as  comfortable  as  possible.  A  squad  of  men  was  detailed 
to  assist  me,  and  every  facility  placed  in  my  power. 


442  WOMEN  OP  THE  WAH. 

"Another  wretched  class  I  fotiiid,  of  those  who  had 
proved  incapable  of  service  011  account  of  chronic  ailments, 
or  feeblo  constitutions,  but  who  had  not  as  yet  received 
honorable  discharges,  or  their  arrears  of  pay.  Their  papers 
had  becu  lying  for  three  or  four  weeks  in  the  surgeon's 
office,  while  they  were  too  weak  and  ill -clad  to  go  out  in 
the  cold  and  stand  till  their  turn  came.  These  I  brought 
to  niy  hospital;  warmed,  fed,  and  clothed  them;  applied 
for  their  papers  ;  obtained  their  transportation  orders,  and 
sent  them  to  AVashingtou,  in  my  ambulance,  to  the  sta 
tions  where  they  could  take  the  proper  train,  go  home,  and 
die  among  friends. 

"In  January,  18G3,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Samuel  McKclvy 
took  command,  and  the  organization  of  the  divisions  be 
came  more  perfect. 

w  At  first  1  placed  my  cards,  authorizing  the  bearer  to 
draw  clothing,  in  the  hands  of  the  surgeons,  as  there  wcro 
two  in  each  division,  I  found,  however,  they  did  not  have 
leisure,  or  take  time,  to  learn  tho  actual  wants  of  their 
patients  as  to  clothing ;  so  I  bad  a  soldier  detailed  in  each 
division,  whoso  solo  business  it  should  bo  to  ascertain  who 
wanted  clothing.  Now,  when  a  soldier  brings  mo  a  cloth 
ing  cuvd,  I  refer  him.  to  tho  agent  of  his  division,  who  first 
examines  his  knapsack,  to  learn  tho  actual  condition  of  his 
wardrobe,  then  ascertains  from  tho  quartermaster  whether 
he  can  draw,  and,  if  not,  gives  him.  a  written  order  on  me, 
which  I  fill  at  once. 

"  Since  tho  1st  of  May  I  havo  gono  over  to  \Vrashiugtou 
with  nearly  every  discharged  soldier,  taken  him  to  tho 
Lodge,  and  assisted  tho  majority  of  them  in  obtaining  a 


MISS    AMY    M.     BRADLEY.  443 

prompt  and  satisfactory  settlement  of  their  account  with 
tho  government. 

ft  I  have  preserved.,  in  a  book:  kept  for  the  purpose,  tho 
names,  company,  regiment,  and  state  of  nearly  two  thou 
sand  soldiers  'who  havo  for  tho  past  seven  months  been 
thus  aided  by  me.  I  took  them  tirst  to  tho  Lodge,  No. 
380  II  Street,  whcro  they  deposited  their  knapsacks  for  safo 
keeping ;  thence  to  the  paymaster-general's  office  ;  tlumco 
to  their  regimental  paymaster's,  -when  any  doubt  or  difficulty 
arose.  Finally,  they  wont  with  mo  to  tho  office  of  Major 
Taylor,  tho  paymaster  for  discharged  soldiers,  where  they 
settled  their  final  account,  and  I  then  took  them  back  to  the 
Lodge,  whcro  they  resumed  their  knapsacks,  found  lodging 
and  meals  free,  and  obtained  tickets  to  return  to  their  homes 
at  reduced  rates. 

"  Within  tho  past  two  months  I  havo  obtained  certificates 
for  tho  arrears  of  pay  for  some  one  hundred  and  fifty  sol 
diers,  several  of  whoso  names  wero  '  dropped  from  tho 
rolls.'  Theso  I  havo  had  reinstated  by  proper  authority, 
and  they  then  drew  their  pay.  In  nearly  every  caso  I  have 
preserved  in  a  book,  kept  for  tho  purpose,  tho  names, 
company,  regiment,  and  state  of  all  those  cases,  and  a 
memorandum  of  tho  amount  of  their  claim,  and  tho  tiino 
and  manner  of  final  adjustment.  Tho  sum  total  of  tho 
moneys  thus  paid  in  settlement  to  soldiers  whoso  accounts 
were  placed  in  my  hands  during  tho  year,  is  between  seven 
and  eight  thousand  dollars. 

"In  conclusion,  I  will  add,  that  I  havo  always  tried  to 
accomplish  my  work  by  peaceful  measures.  Though  I  have 
xnado  many  suggestions,  not  ono  failed  of  being  adopted  ; 


444  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAR. 

but  I  carried  none  of  them  by  storm.  Opposed  nt  times' 
by  state  agents  and  by  ambulance  women,  the  Commission 
officers  have  always  sustained  me  against  tbeir  jealousies. 
For  a  time  the  agents  of  tho  Christian  Commission  failed  to 
trust  me  with  some  articles  of  clothing,  but  afterwards 
c  concluded  to  leave  all  that  to  Miss  Bradley.'  Two  assist 
ant  surgeons  tried  to  injure  my  usefulness  in  tho  camp. 
Tho  result  was  their  dismissal  from  the  service.  I  speak  it 
not  as  a  boast,  but  to  show  that  my  peace  method  has  been 
successful." 

A  warm  and  appreciative  friend  of  Miss  Bradley  has 
given  tho  author  a  graphic  and  somewhat  amusing  descrip 
tion  of  the  appearance  of  our  heroine  when  she  came  over, 
day  after  day,  from  "  Camp  Misery,"  as  the  boys  would  call 
it,  with  a  forlorn-looking  escort  of  broken-down  soldiers, 
and  took  them  from,  one  office  to  another  till  their  papers 
and  accounts  were  all  made  entirely  satisfactory. 

A  small  figure,  erect,  and  made  for  activity  and  en 
durance,  sitting  composedly  in  the  ambulance  —  a  soldier 
driving,  and  two  or  three  cripples  riding  ;  tho  rest  moving 
in  single  file,  as  a  right  wing,  —  poor,  sick  soldiers,  but 

trying  to  look  as  trim  as  they  can, marching  up  tho 

avenues  of  tho  national  capital,  all  in  silence,  moving  after 
that  little  woman  as  though  she  were  their  brigadier- 
general  !  Now  tho  procession  comes  to  tho  door  of  a  gov 
ernment  office.  She  lifts  0110  white  finger  of  her  little 
hand,  and  they  obey  as  quickly  as  though  General  Hancock 
had  roared  out  his  w  Column,  halt  1 "  Sho  points  towards 
tho  door.  That  means  "filo  right,"  and  is  just  as  effectual 
as  tho  drawn  sword  of  General  Grant. 


MISS    AMT    M.     BRADLEY.  445 

Soon  tho  filo  comes  out  again,  as  obedient  to  tho  move 
ment  of  that  0110  woman's  fingers  aa  tlio  Great  Eastern  to 
her  helm.  It  is  shorter  than  when  it  went  in.  Two  or 
tlirco  of  the  boy  a  t>tart  off  with  moro  elastic  step,  tbcir 
papers,  "all  right,"  in  tho  side  pocket  of  tho  old  blue  blowsc, 
and  a  wad  of  new  greenbacks  in  their  vest  pocket.  They 
don't  know  what  to  Hay  to  Miss  Bradley.  Their  sensations 
aro  a  mixture-  of  gratitude,  admiration,  and  reverence. 
There  was  no  tedious*  waiting  at  a  circumlocution  office. 
One  eiit  of  her  scissors  severed  tho  red-tupo  with  which, 
their  hopes  and  rights  had  been  tied  lip  for  weeks  and 
months.  And  so  tho  little  procession  moves  on  from  one 
office  to  another,  till  she  takes  thorn  back  to  tho  Lodge, 
when  the  heavy  and  greasy  old  knapsack,  all  stained  with 
Virginia  mud,  is  lashed  on  for  the  last  time,  and  they  start 
off,  in  littlo  irregular  squads  of  two  or  three,  with  buoyant 
feelings  and  bright  eyes,  for  tho  station  of  the  railroad  that 
goes  north,  for  now 

"  Johnny   comes   marching   hume." 

Throughout  tho  year  18G4  Miss  Bradley  continued  tho 
same  persistent  and  systematic  labors  for  tho  soldiers  which 
she  luts  herself  so  well  described  in  her  report  for  18(53. 

In  January  and  February  seven  hundred  and  fifty  were 
discharged,  and  sent  in  ambulances  to  tho  Lodge,  where 
they  wcro  assisted  by  Mr.  Ncal,  of  tho  Commission,  in  tho 
regulation  of  their  papers,  Miss  Bradley  being  prevented 
by  sickness  from  going  with  them. 

About  thia  time  a  radical  change  was  made.  Camp  Dis 
tribution  was  broken  up,  but  the  same  locality  was  named 
"Rendezvous  of  Distribution,*'  and  orders  wcro  that  110110 


I 
446  WOMEN    OF    TIIE    WAR. 

should  be  sent  there  but  deserters  and  men  fit  for  field 
service.  During  theao  changes  Miss  Bradley  was  sick  for 
some  time  from  excitement  and  over-exertion.  "When  her 
health  was  partially  restored  (about  the  17th  of  February), 
she  assumed  the  editorial  chair  of  tho  Soldier's  Journal, 
'*  published  every  Wednesday,  at  tho  Rendezvous  of  Distri 
bution,  at  tho  subscription  price  of  two  dollars  per  annum, 
payable  alwaj's  in  advance  ;  single  copies,  five  cents." 

The  objects  of  this  Journal  wero  declared  to  be,  to  givo 
instructions  how  to  procure  pay  and  clothing  when  entitled 
to  such  ;  what  are  the  requisites  exacted  by  government  when 
furloughs  are  granted  ;  how  discharged  soldiers  can  bo  put 
in  tho  way  of  securing  prompt  settlement  of  their  accounts 
with  government,  without  tho  interference  of  claim  agents. 
Aside  from  tliid,  it  contained  interesting  original  and  se 
lected  reading  matter.  Its  prospectus  was  dated  tho  17th 
of  February,  1864,  and  it  gave  its  valedictory  eighteen 
months  after,  when  tho  "  cruel  war  was  over,"  on  tho  22d 
of  August,  1865.  It  began  with  a  debt  of  five  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars,  and  wound  up'  with  a  profit  of  twenty-one 
hundred  and  fifty-five  dollars  and  sovent3'-iivo  cents,  be 
sides  tho  press  and  typo,  all  of  which  was  devoted  to  the 
relief  of  orphans  of  soldiers.  , 

Besides  these  editorial  duties,  Miss  Bradley  was,  during  a 
largo  part  of  tho  year,  tho  superintendent  of  tho  special  diet 
at  tho  Augur  General  Hospital  ;  and,  by  records  carefully 
preserved  by  herself,  it  appears  that  during  tho  two  years 
ending  December  31,  1864,  she  received  from  soldiers,  and 
delivered  to  J.  B.  Abbott,  tho  chief  assistant  of  tho  gen 
eral  relief  department  of  tho  Sanitary  Commission,  four 


MISS    AMY    M.    BRADLEY.  447 

thousand  0110  hundred,  and  forty-six  dollars  and  fifty  cents, 
to  bo  forwarded  to  their  friends,  and  in  tho  same  manner, 
during  January  and  February,  1865,  received  and  forwarded 
seven  hundred  and  seventy-nine  dollars. 

Tho  plan  and  S3'stcm  of  her  work  were  organized  under 
ten  heads,  which  sho  followed,  from  tho  beginning  of  her 
connection  with  this  camp,  in  tho  winter  of  1862,  till  tho 
war  ended.  They  wore  us  follows  : 

1.  Distributing  clothing  among  tho  needy. 

2.  Procuring  dainties    for    tho    sick,    and   administering  to 

their  comfort,  by  furnishing  gruel,  stimulants,  <fcc. 

3.  Accompanying  discharged  soldiers  to  "Washington,  and 

assisting  thorn  in  obtaining  their  pay. 

4.  Distributing    noto    paper   and    envelopes,    and     writing 

letters  for  tho  sick. 

5.  Receiving  and  forwarding  money  for  soldiers    to    their 

friends  at  home. 

G.     Obtaining    certificates    of  arrears   of    pay   for   soldiers, 
and  getting  unjust  charges  of  desertion  removed. 

7.  Answering  letters  of  inquiry  to  hospital  directory. 

8.  Distributing  reading  matter  in  camp. 

9.  Telegraphing  to  friends  of  very  sick  soldiers. 
10.     Giving  meals  to  foeblo  soldiers  in  tho  barracks. 

Little  credit  would  be  reflected  on  our  bravo  soldiers  and 
officers  if  it  should  appear  that  services  such  as  tlicso  failed 
of  duo  appreciation  and  tho  meed  of  just  praise.  liy  all 
sho  was  looked  upon  as  tho  friend  of  tho  soldier,  and  by 
him  sho  was  received  with  the  kindest  regard  and  grati 
tude.  On  tho  22d  of  February,  1864,  eho  was  presented 


448  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAR. 

with  an  elegant  gold  watch  and  chain  by  the  officers  and 
private  soldiers  of  Camp  Convalescent,  with  which  she  had 
so  long  boon  connected.  "It  was  about  two. P.  M.,  on  tho 
22d,"  she  says,  "  that,  on  answering  a  rap  at  my  door,  I  was 
met  by  a  little  army  of  soldiers,  headed  by  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Samuel  JMcKeivy  commanding,  and  Surgeon  San- 
ford  B.  Hunt,  accompanied  by  the  chaplain,  *\\rillinin  J.  Pot 
ter,  nud  tho  other  officers  of  both  camp  imd  hospital.  As  I 
opcucd  tho  door,  Air.  Potter  stepped  forward  and  said, 

"'Miss  Bradley:  Bo  not  alarmed  at  tho  coming  of  this 
army  to  your  door.  -AVo  are  not  hostile,  but  conio  on  a 
friendly  mission  ;  and  hero  I  have  tho  countersign  that  will 
show  that  we  are  friends.  In  this  box  you  will  find  a  watch 
and  chain,  which,  in.  behalf  <5f  tho  officers  and  soldiers  of 
this  camp  and  hospital,  I  huvo  tho  honor  to  present  to  you. 

ct'I  prcaent  it  to  you  in  behalf  of  tlio  officers,  some  ono 
of  whom,  who  has  been  longer  acquainted  -with  your  work 
here  than  I  have  been,  I  would  have  preferred  to  speak  on 
this  occasion  ;  but  I  know  that  I  speak  for  them,  for  I  but 
repeat  what  I  have  heard  from  tho  commanding  officer  and 
from  the  surgeon  iu  charge  of  camp  and  hospital,  aud  abso 
from  others,  when  I  say  that  they  recognize  tho  importance 
of  the  work  you  are  doing  here,  ancl  the  remarkable  ability, 
faithfulness,  and  entire  self-devotion  wit^i  which  you  have 
performed  it ;  and  they  recognize  this  work  not  only  for  its 
beneficence  to  the  soldiers,  who  from,  time  to  time  have 
been  gathered  hero,  but  as  an  important  aid  towards  tho 
good  "order  and  discipline  of  the  camp  ;  and  by  their  sharo 
in  this  gift  they  mean  to  testify  this  recognition  of  the 
value  of  your  services. 


MISS    AMY    M.     BRADLEY.  449 

' '  But  I  present  this  gift  also  in  behalf  of  the  private  sol 
diers  ;  full  half  of  its  value  belongs  to  them.  They  in 
various  waya  have  felt  your  sympathy,  and  had  your  kind 
assistance.  No  words  of  mine  can  toll  in  how  high  regard 
they  hold  your  work  for  them. 

"  c  By  their  share  in  this  gift  they  have  tried  to  tell  3-011 
a  part  of  their  gratitude  ;  and  those  who  have  not  been  able 
to  add  their  mito  to  increase  the  value  of  the  gift,  give  you 
their  blessings  and  their  prayers. 

"  *  Let  mo  add,  also,  that  we  welcome  you  back  to  health, 
and  to  the  work  you  love  so  well.  And  now,  in  behalf  of 
these  your  friends,  and  many  others  who  arc  not  here, 
allow  me  to  put  into  your  hands  this  token  of  their  appreci 
ation  and  friendly  regard  —  a  gift  from  soldiers  to  the 
Soldiers'  Friend.'" 

In  some  form  or  other  nearly  ovory  oiHcor  who  saw  her 
•works  has  given  his  opinion  of  them,  sometimes  in  terms 
that  do  all  that  can  be  done  by  words  to  show  the  deep 
impression  she  made  oil  the  minds  of  those  with  whom  she 
came  ill  contact  during  those  four  years  of  her  conspicuous 
and  splendid  beneficence. 

Colonel  Taylor,  of  the  paymaster's  department  at  \Vash- 
ingtoii,  under  dato  of  August  17,  18G4,  \vrites,  "Since 
March  4,  18C3,  I  have  been  in  charge  of  this  office,  and 
from  that  date  Miss  Bradley  has  assisted  more  than  two 
thousand  discharged  soldiers  in  adjusting  and  collecting 
the  amounts  duo  them.  To  the  sick  and  wounded  she  has 
ministered  faithfully.  Her  services  havo  been  valuable  to 
the  Commission,  to  the  country,  to  the  soldier,  and  honora- 
blo  to  herself." 

29 


450  WOMEN    OP    TIFK    WAR. 

•  Mr.  K.  II.  lirooks,  chief  clerk  in  tho  office  of  the  pay 
master-general,  mid  ten  of  his  associates,  unite  iu  presenting 
to  Miss  Bradley  a  testimonial  of*  their  esteem  ami  their 
valuation  of  her  service,  in  which  they  say,  ff  AVe  desire  to 
bear  testimony  to  the  deep  interest  which  yon  have  always 
manifested  in  tho  wo  1  faro  of  tho  sick  and  wounded  soldier, 
and  tho  valuable  services  yon  huvo  rendered  in  procuring 
arrears  of  pay,  and  in  removing  erroneous  charges  of  deser 
tion,  for  hundreds  of  those  who  stood  in  need  of  it.  friend. 
AVhilo  wo  regret  that  tho  poor  soldier  is  to  ho  deprived  of 
your  valuable  services,  wo  trust  that  in  your  retirement 
from  tho  busy  scones  in  which  you  havo  so  long  been 
engaged,  you  may  enjoy  health  and  prosperity,  and  all  tho 
blessings  that  flow  from  a  well-spent  life." 

Dr.  <Jr.  1^.  Sutton,  surgeon  in  charge  of  tho  Rendezvous 
of  Distribution,  referring  to  her  labors  thero  us  ho  saw 
them  during  tho  year  186-i,  says,  "Her  notoriety  as  c  tho 
soldier's  friend*  is  wicle^  spread,  and  needs  no  comment. 
If  ho  needs  a  counsellor,  her  advico  ic*  ever  ready.  If  his 
case  needs  ail  advocate  at  tho  heads  of  tho  departments, 
she  is  prompt  and  discreet  in  presenting  his  cuso.  Tho 
bick  bho  has  nursed  as  a  mother,  and  tho  well  she  has 
incited  to  deeds  of  valor.  Possessed  of  superior  executive 
ability,  associated  with  a  generous  heart  and  honesty  of 
purpose,  she  is  peculiarly  well  qualified  to  fill  tho  position 
of  special  relief  agent  of  tho  United  States  Sanitary  Com 
mission.  I  would  in  the  most  earnest  manner  recommend 
her  to  all  who  appreciate  true  worth,  and  would  reward 
true  merit." 

After  tho   closo  of  tho  war,  in  August,  1865,  the  officers 


MISS  AMY   M.    BRADLEY.  451 

of  tho  Commission  noticed  with  pain  how  deeply  thoao 
long  and  arduous  charitable  labors  of  Miss  Bradley  had 
intrenched  upon  her  health;  and  tho  organization,  acting 
through  their  general  secretary,  John  S.  Blatchford,  Esq., 
addressed  her  tho  following  letter  : 

w  Your  impaired  health,  incurred  in  tho  performance  of 
your  self-imposed  and  most  arduous  labors  for  tho  welfaro 
of  our  soldiers,  is  observed  by  your  friends  with  solicitude 
and  regret. 

"Tho  servico  which  you  havo  rendered  in  tho  cause  of 
humanity,  and  the  influence  you  havo  exerted,  resulting  in 
untold  alleviation  and  comfort  to  those  to  whom  you  have 
ministered  in  many  ways  beyond  tho  ordinary  experience 
of  women,  nro  such  as  to  secnro  to  you  tho  lasting  regard 
and  love  of  all  who  have  known  you  in  your  work.  That 
work  has  been  characterized  by  rare  judgment,  great 
efficiency,  untiring  sseal  and  devotion.  It  is  abovo  praise. 

w  It  will  aflbrd  mo,  on  behalf  of  tho  Commission,  especial 
satisfaction  if  I  can  in  any  manner  promote  your  personal 
comfort  during  the  period  of  relaxation  and  rest  which  you 
now  allow  yourself;  and  I  will  thank  you  if  you  will  indi 
cate  any  wish  in  this  connection,  and  permit  mo  tho  pleasure 
of  serving  you." 

In  reply,  Miss  Bradley  thanked  tho  secretary  for  tho 
terms  in  which  ho  had  seen  fit  to  speak  of  her  services,  and 
suggested  that,  as  she  greatly  needed  rest  and  a  change  of 
scene,  and  her  limited  means  did  not  allow  her  to  take  a 
trip  to  visit  her  friends  in  Maine,  the  Commission  should 
give  her  a  salary  for  that  part  of  the  current  year  then 
passed. 


452  -WOMEN    OF    TUB    WAB. 

On  tho  following  day  she  received  a  noto  from  the  cen 
tral  office,  enclosing  a  draft  for  four  hundred  and  fifty-five 
dollars  ;  and  the  treasurer  remarks  that,  "  in  hia  judgment, 
the  Commission  had  never  expended  a  dollar  more  worthily, 
or  "with  more  perfect  returns  to  the  good  cause." 

He  closes  his  communication  with  a  sentiment  which 
every  reader  of  this  sketch  will  heartily  indorse  :  <c  Your 
course  as  related  to  the  soldier,  Miss  Bradley,  is  beyond 
any  words  of  mine.  It  V>»«  illustrated  to  me,  more  perfectly 
than  any  other  instance  I  have  ever  seen,  tho  nobility  of 
woman's  sacrifice  to  truth  and  right." 


MISS    REBECCA    R.    USHER. 

VERY"  early  in  the  struggle  the  people  of  Maine  en 
tered  warmly  into  tho  plans  and  labors  of  the  Sani 
tary  and  Christian  Commissions.  But  in  addition  to  these 
national  organizations  it  was  generally  felt  that  some  more 
special  and  direct  system  was  required  for  reaching  all  tho 
Maine  boys  in  the  army,  and  making  sure  that  tho  bountiful 
supplies  given  by  tho  people  at  homo  did  not  fail  of  their 
purpose. 

More  effectually  to  accomplish  this  object,  a  society  was 
formed  in  Portland,  in  tho  full  of  1862,  called  tho  "Maine 
Camp  ami  Hospital  Association,'*  tho  various  members  of 
which  held  themselves  in  readiness  to  respond  to  any  call 
for  hospital  nurses  that  might  reach  them  from  tho  front. 
Aside  from  Mrs.  Fogg  and  Mrs.  Eaton,  who  were  the  pio 
neers  from  tho  state  in  sanitary  labor,  Miss  Usher  was 
among  tho  first  to  enter  upon  tho  work  of  humanity,  and 
devoto  herself  to  tho  alleviation  of  the  untold  and  unmeas 
ured  sufferings  produced  by  the  great  war. 

Her  first  experience  was  at  tho  General  Hospital  at 
Chester,  in  Pennsylvania.  This  had  been  opened  early  in 
tho  spring  of  1862,  at  tho  time  of  the  Peninsular  campaign, 
and  waa  for  some  weeks  supplied  with  nuraea  by  tho  ladies 
from  tho  village.  As  some  disagreement  arose  between 


454 


WOMEN    OF    THE    WAK. 


these  occasional  laborers  and  tho  surgeon  in  charge,  he 
sought  to  change  the  system  of  hospital  service,  and  se 
cured  Mrs.  Tyler,  of  Baltimore,  as  lady  superintendent, 
requesting  her  to  call  to  her  aid  a  suitable  corps  of  skilful 
and  permanent  assistants. 

Mrs.  Tyler  sought  volunteers  exclusively  as  being  more 
intelligent,  more  refined,  and  more  devoted  to  tho  welfare 
of  the  soldier  than  those  whoso  labor  was  salaried. 

The  little  band  she  secured  as  aids  was  composed  of 
Miss  Sarah  Tucker  and  Miss  Ivondall,  from  Boston  ;  Miss 
Dequindro,  from  Michigan  ;  Miss  Hattie  Southgnte,  daugh 
ter  of  Bishop  Southgate,  of  New  York ;  Miss  Ellis,  of 
Bridgewater ;  Miss  Titcomb  and  Miss  Newhall,  from  Port 
land  ;  and  Miss  Usher,  from  ITollis,  Maine. 

Tho  large  building  erected  for  a  normal  school  was  ap 
propriated  to  tho  use  of  tho  surgeons  and  tho  ladies  of  tho 
hospital.  Most  of  tho  amputations  were  performed  here, 
and  tho  building  was  also  used  as  a  special  ward  for  such 
patients  as  were  so  ill  as  to  be  disturbed  by  tho  noise  of 
the  crowded  wards,  and  whoso  recovery  depended  on  the 
most  watchful  attention.  They  had  under  their  care  nine 
hundred  patients  in  the  fall,  and  during  a  considerable  part 
of  tho  winter  of  1862  and  1863.  Theao  wcro  distributed  in 
barracks,  each  barrack  being  divided  into  wards,  with  from 
sixty  to  seventy  men  in  each  ;  every  lady  having  a  ward  in 
her  special  charge,  except  Mrs.  Tyler,  who  was  lady  super 
intendent,  and  visited  all.  The  immediate  and  constant 
nursing  was  performed  by  soldiers  detailed  for  tho  purpose. 
Government  supplied  the  ladies  with  a  daily  ration  costing 
fifteen  cents,  and  a  free  pass  on  the  cars  ;  and  this  was  all 


MIS3    REBECCA    R.     USHER.  455 

they  sought  or  desired,  as  remuneration,  beyond  the  con 
sciousness  of  doing  good,  and  a  conviction  that  their  labors 
directly  promoted  the  final  success  of  the  Union  arms. 

Among  the  severely  wounded,  requiring  special  attention, 
•was  a  Ooufoderuto  ofiicer  from  South  Carolina,  who  had 
been  captured  in  one  of  the  great  battles  on  the  Chicka- 
hominy.  Tho  bone  of  his  shoulder  had  been  terribly 
crushed  by  a  fragment  of  a  shell,  so  that  his  right  arm  was 
lashed  to  his  side  for  eight  months.  lie  was  in  Miss  New- 
hall's  ward  ;  but  Miss  Usher  often  called  to  sec  that  all  his 
wants  were  supplied,  and  became  tjuitc  interested  in  him 
AS  tho  fir&t  specimen  of  a  genuine  and  full-blooded  South 
erner  that  had  come  under  her  notice  in  the  hospital.  At 
times  ho  would  grow  strong  enough  to  walk  up  and  down 
Uio  balls  every  day  for  u  week  or  two  j  and  then,  his  wound 
opening  afresh,  ho  would  sink  almost  to  the  verge  of  the 
grave.  He  was  but  twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  as  his 
wound  became  worse,  his  sulfcring  depressed  his  spirits  to 
the  lowest  point.  At  such  times  the  ladies  used  every 
method  to  cheer  him.  They  found  him  well  educated,  and 
intelligent,  gentlemanly  and  refined  in  his  language,  and 
polished  in  hia  manners.  lie  was  graceful,  yot  abundant,  in 
his  expressions  of  gratitude  for  tho  kind  treatment  ho  re 
ceived.  Ono  dny,  when  Mrs.  Tyler's  name  was  mentioned, 
ho  exclaimed,  "  She's  a  noble  woman,  and  ought  to  live 
forever  !  " 

Ho  spoke  freely  of  tho  conflict  going  on  between  the  sec 
tions,  and  seemed  to  regret  it  very  much,  saying,  if  tho 
southern  and  northern  people  could  have  been  brought  to 
gether,  and  exchanged  their  real  sentiments  on  the  value  of 


456  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

the  Union  to  all  tho  states,  there  would  have  been  no  seces 
sion  and  no  war,  and  added  that,  if  ho  ever  lived  to  get 
home,  ho  should  do  all  in  his  power  for  tho  Union  prisoners. 
One  day,  in  tho  spring  of  1863,  he  asked  Miss  Usher  if 
the  ^Torth  considered  their  currency  worth  anything.  "  O, 
yes,'*  was  the  reply.  "  If  I  hud  money  to  invest,  I  should 
put  it  into  United  States  bonds  in  preference  to  anything 
else."  He  looked  surprised,  and  added,  "AVell,  wo  know 
ours  is  worthless.'*  In  another  conversation  that  took  place 
soon  after,  tho  young  South  Carolinian  gave  a  chapter  from 
his  plantation  reminiscences  that  seemed  strangely  in  con 
trast  with  the  refinement  he  had  hitherto  manifested. 

*' He  was  telling  mo  about  his  father,*'  says  Miss  Usher; 
**  what  a  careless  and  indulgent  master  ho  was,  and  that  ho 
wanted  him  to  tako  charge  of  the  plantation.  'This/  ho 
went  on  to  say,  CI  agreed  to  do  on  one  condition  —  that  I 
should  havo  entire  control  of  tho  negroes.  jVftcr  sonio 
hesitation,  father  consented,  and  I  went  to  work  and  laid 
down  tho  rules  for  them.  They  early  found  out  that  .  1 
would  as  soon  flo£-  father's  favorite  negroei*  as  any  others, 
and  they  began  to  be  afraid  of  mo. 

"  f  One  day  I  sent  a  boy  to  tho  grist-mill  with  a  load  of 
corn.  He  was  absent  tho  greater  part  of  a  day,  and,  when 
ho  camo  back,  said  tho  miller  wouldn't  grind  it.  I  took  him 
right  into  tho  wagon  «ud  drovo  back  to  tho  mill,  ascer 
tained  that  ho  Imil  been  spending  tho  day  with  tho  freo 
negroes  in  the  village,  had  given  out  tho  better  part  of  tho 
corn  among  them,  and  reached  the  mill  too  lato  to  havo  tho 
grinding  done  that  day.  I  turned  to  the  boy,  and  said, 
f  Jerry,  you  deserve  a  good  threshing  for  this,  and 


MISS  UKBKOOA  U.  USHER.  457 

you  shall  have  it  too  1  *  Ho  started  to  run.  'Run,'  said  I, 
r  if  you  daro  I  '  But  when  ho  thought  about  it  he  concluded 
to  stop  and  take  the  whipping.  Mo  was  afraid  I  -would 
firo.  I  had  no  idea  of  that,  but  if  he  had  taken  to  the 
woods  I  would  have  had  my  hounds  after  him,  and  pulled 
him  down  in  five  minutes!*  "  "His  story  shocked  me,0  says 
Miss  Usher;  "yet  I  did  not  arguo  the  case,  but  left  him  to 
bo  instructed  by  the  logic  of  cvciita.  lie  ran  through  his 
narrativo  with  as  much  frankness  and  sang-froid  as  a 
northern  man  might  speak  of  dismissing  a  servant  that 
did  not  suit  him.  It  had  never  occurred  to  him  that  sot 
ting  bloodhounds  after  an  escaping  slave  was  improper 
treatment  for  negroes.  Yet  towards  whito  people  no  per 
son  could  bo  more  considerate  or  polite.  At  another  time 
ho  said,  '  I  don't  see  how  you  northern  people  can  stand  it 
to  have  negroes  brushing  by  you  on  the  sidewalk.  I  should 
knock  them  down.'"  In  May,  1863,  this  polished  champion 
of  southern  institutions  waa  ao  fur  recovered  aa  to  Icavo 
the  hospital.  lie  was  taken  to  Baltimore  and  exchanged, 
so  that  Miss  Usher  heard  no  more  of  him  and  his  views  of 
plantation  discipline. 

The  next  incident  that  Miss  Usher  relates  is  entirely 
different. 

"Ono  evening,"  sho  writes,  "Miss  Titcomb  and  I  were 
sitting  in  Mrs.  Tyler's  reception-room  when  wo  wore 
startled  by  tho  sound  of  loud  weeping  in  the  hall.  It 
seemed  like  the  voice  of  an  old  man  ;  and  wo  went  out  to 
witness  one  of  those  touching  reunions  that  can  occur  only 
amid  the  desolations  and  fearful  uncertainties  of  a  great  war. 

"  An  old  gentleman  had  just  arrived  from  Iowa  to  see  hia 


458  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

son,  who  had  been  very  ill.  This  son  was  nineteen  years 
of  age,  and  the  youngest  of  five  brothers,  all  of  whom 
•were  marching  and  fighting  under  the  same  flag.  This  one, 
while  on  a  visit  to  his  older  brother's  family,  in  Illinois, 
enlisted  in  the  army  of  tho  Mississippi,  whilo  his  four 
brothers  were  in  the  Missouri  division.  Tho  father  had  man 
aged  with  much  difficulty  to  carry  on  tho  largo  farm  alone, 
as  it  was  found  impossible  to  hire  labor.  After  various  ex 
periences  in  tho  West,  tho  youngest  of  these  fivo  soldier 
boys  had  been  transferred  to  tho  army  of  the  Potomac,  and 
marched  under  Burnside  to  those  awful  and  hopeless  charges 
on  the  intrenched  lines  at  Frcdericksburg.  A  minio  ball 
pierced  his  breast,  wounding  tho  left  lung,  and  coming  out 
near  the  spine.  Thougli  apparently  a  mortal  wound,  tho 
vigor  of  his  eonsticutiou  had  curried  him  post  tho  point  of 
greatest  danger,  aud  he  \vas  nearly  well  when  ho  went  out 
to  the  water-side  to  see  a  monitor  launched.  Tho  exposure 
was  too  great  ;  a  cold  fastened  upon  the  injured  lung,  and 
his  life  was  despaired  of.  AVhon  lowest  ho  had  sent  a  mes 
sage  to  his  father  from  ward  A  to  come  on  at  once.  But 
before  his  father  reached  Chester  his  l>oy  had  been  removed 
to  ward  D.  When  tho  old  man  arrived,  having  travelled 
night  and  day  fifteen  hundred  miles,  hoping  and  praying" 
that  it  might  not  be  too  Into,  ho  saw  some  soldiers,  and 
asked  them  if  they  were  from  ward  A.  They  said  they 
were.  Ho  then  asked  if  his  son  was  there,  describing  him 
and  giving  his  name.  *  N"o  ;  there  was  no  such  man  in 
ward  A.'  Presently  he  met  another  squad  from  the  samo 
ward,  who  gave  the  same  report.  Then  the  old  man's  heart 
sank  within  him.  But  ho  came  up  to  the  hospital,  and 


MISS     UEBKCCA     R.     USIIKH.  459 

inquired  of  several  surgeons  for  such  a  patient  in  ward  A. 
They  knew  nothing-  of  any  such  man.  Finally,  a  surgeon 
from  ward  E>  happened  to  bo  present  as  the  father  was 
repeating  tho  description,  nntl  without  saying  anytiiing, 
sent  for  tho  young  man  to  couio  to  the  office.  Summoned 
thus  peremptorily,  the  poor  boy  crept  off  his  cot,  and  came 
slowly  forward  through  tho  hall,  supposing  that  a  false 
charge  had  been  iimdo  agaiuot  him,  and  ho  would  havo  to 
march  oft"  to  tho  guard-house.  In  a  moment  ho  found  him 
self  clasped  in.  his  father's  arms.  It  was  their  first  meeting 
for  two  years.  Tho  father  said  it  seemed  to  him  as  though 
ho  had  him.  back  from  tho  grave,  and,  like  auother  Jacob, 
ho  lifted  up  his  voice  and  wept. 

w  Ho  was  so  pleased  with  tho  hospital  and  satisfied  with 
tho  attention  his  boy  received,  that  after  much  debate  ho 
concluded  to  leave  him  there  ;  and  yet  he  would  add,  his 
eye  growing  moist  again,  *I  don't  know  but  it  will  kill  his 
mother,  when  sho  sees  mo  coming  back  without  him  !  '  " 

In  tho  early  part  of  tho  summer  of  18GiJ  the  Chester  hos 
pital  was  broken  up,  and  for  about  eighteen  months  Miss 
Usher  WJis  not  engaged  in  army  work.  Karly  in.  tho  winter 
of  180*4  find  18u'5  wo  find  her  again  at  tho  front,  near  Pe 
tersburg,  actively  laboring  for  tbe  Maine  boys.  Tho  hut  in 
which  sho  lived  and  tho  lifo  of  oxcitemeut  and  hardship 
which  she,  with  Mrs.  Mayhew  and  Mrs.  Eaton,  led,  are  de 
scribed  in  a  scries  of  letters  addressed  to  her  friends  at 
home.  The  following  by  Mrs.  Eaton,  dated  City  Point, 
Dcccmhcr  8,  18(>4,  gives  an  account  of  their  establishment 
there,  and  tho  way  in  which  their  log  hut  was  built :  — 

"For  a  week  wo   havo   been  very  busy.      Tho  First   Maiiio 


460  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

heavy  artillery  detailed  men  to  out  our  timber  for  the  stock 
ade.  The  second  and  third  batteries  sent  teams  to  haul  it ; 
the  second  battery  and  first  battalion  of  Maine  sharpshoot 
ers  have  sent  their  men  to  put  it  up.  Wo  uro  under  great 
obligations  to  them  for  their  kindness,  as  it  is  against  mili 
tary  regulations  to  detail  men  from  these  grounds  for  such 
a  purpose. 

"Our  stockade  is  now  all  up  and  chinked,  but  wo  havo 
no  door  or  fireplace.  Our  roof  is  of  canvas,  and  wo  use 
rubber  blankets,  quilts,  and  bed-sacks  for  doors.  A  nice 
little  army  stove  was  given  mo  for  our  use  oil  yesterday. 
To-uiorro\v  wo  expect  to  build  tho  chimney  ;  and  all  this  is 
being  done  while  wo  live  within.  You  may  imugino  the 
confusion,  with  our  pile  of  stores  in  tho  centre,  to  give 
room  to  act  up  tho  logs,  and  a  long  procession  of  our  boys 
continually  coming  for  what  is  frequently  at  tho  bottom  of 
the  pile.  The  stockade  is  forty  feet  by  fifteen,  and  con 
tains  three  apartments  :  at  tho  entrance  is  a  rcacliiig-room, 
which  wo  mean  to  make  literally  a  '  Soldier's  Home,'  then 
our  own  dormitory  and  store-room,  and  in  tho  rear  tho 
cook-house.  "Wo  wish  to  keep  our  reading-room  supplied 
with  late  Maino  papers,  and  with  stationery,  that  the  boys 
may  have  facilities  for  writing-  hero.  Sacks,  boxes,  and 
barrels  are  piled  six  feet  high  on  every  side." 

Hero  these  ladies  staid,  and  devoted  themselves  to  the 
work  for  which  they  left  home,  for  six  mouths,  until  Itich- 
mond  fell,  Leo  capitulated,  and  the  war  was  over. 

On  the  8th  of  February  Miss  Usher  writes  homo  as 
folio ws  :  — 

nOur  vegetables,  twenty-eight  barrels,  came  on  Monday, 


MISS    IlEBECOA    B.     USHER.  4G1 

tria  Baltimore,  and  yesterday  tlio  boya  opeiied  them  and 
picked  them  over,  throwing  away  those  that  had  been 
frozen  on  the  passage.  There  were  twenty  barrels  of  good 
potatoes  to  distribute.  All  day  the  soldiers  roasted  thorn  in 
the  ashes  of  tho  reading-room  fire  ;  and  some  would  ask  us 
for  a  strip  of  salt  fish,  and  thus  made  out,  as  they  said,  a 
luxurious  meal.  Could  you  see  how  glad  tho  men  are  of 
them,  you  would,  feel  that  it  pays  to  send  them,  even  though 
a  fourth  aro  lost  by  freezing.  The  soldiers  couio  in  and  ask 
for  a  potato,  as  if  it  were  the  most  delicious  peach,  or  a 
bunch  of  Hamburg  grapes.  A  Pennsylvania  boy,  sick  in 
one  of  tho  wards,  heard  Mrs.  Mayhew  say  our  potatoes  had 
come  ;  but  sho  supposed  they  were  all  frozen,  they  had  boon 
so  long  on  tho  way.  Tho  next  day  sho  received  a  note  from 
him,  asking  if  sho  would  bo  so  kind  as  to  let  him  have  a 
few  of  thoso  frozen  potatoes.  Of  course  wo  sent  tho  poor 
fellow  somo  nice  ones." 

On  tho  7th  of  April,  just  after  tho  great  closing  battles  of 
tho  war,  Miss  Usher  writes  homo  as  follows  ;  — 

"  Dear  12.  :  Tho  wards  aro  filled  with  the  wounded.  It 
is  estimated  that  there  aro  ten  thousand  patients  in  tho 
hospitals  here,  and  our  Maino  regiments  have  suffered 
severely.  Wo  aro  very  busy,  doing  all  in  our  power  to 
alleviate  suffering.  Eleven  hundred  badly  wounded  wero 
brought  in  on  one  day.  In  the  evening  tho  wards  aro  dis 
mal  enough long  and  narrow,  without  floors,  dimly  lighted 

with  lanterns,  and  resounding  with  tho  groans  of  tho  sick 
and  dying.  Airs.  Mayhew  and  Mrs.  Sampson  go  to  the  front 
to-morrow.  Ono  of  us  will  work  thero  all  tho  time  now. 

WA  fow  days  ago  I  saw  Bridget,  who  camo  out  with  tho 


462  WOMHN    OF    THE    WAR. 

First  Michigan  cavalry,  and  has  been  with  the  regiment  over 
since.  She  had  just  coine  in  with  the  body  of  a  captain 
who  was  killed  in  a  cavalry  skirmish.  Sho  had  tho  body 
lashed  to  her  horse,  uiid  carried  him  fifteen  miles,  where 
she  procured  a  coffin,  and  sent  him  homo.  Sho  says  this 
is  tho  hardest  battle  they  have  had,  and  tho  ground  was 
covered  with  the  wounded.  Sho  had  not  slept  for  forty- 
eight  hours,  having  worked  incessantly  with  the  wounded. 
Sho  is  bravo,  heroic,  and  a  perfect  onthuoiaat  iu  her  work. 
Bridget  said  to  me,  in  her  earnest  way,  f  Why  don't  you 
Indies  go  up  there,  and  take  core  of  tlioso  wounded  men? 
UVhy,  it's  tho  worst  sight  you  over  saw.  Tho  ground  is 
covered  with  them.'  c  A\ro  should  like  to  go,'  I  said,  c  but 
they  -won't  lot  us.'  *  Well,  thoy  can't  hinder  me,'  sho  said; 
'Sheridan  won't  let  them.'  " 

Mrs.  Mayhew,  in  speaking  of  her  lifo  boforo  Petersburg, 
during  the  winter  and  spring  of  1865,  refers  to  Miss  Usher 
in  tho  following  language  :  "  My  labors  horo  were  shared 
by  Miss  Rebecca  R.  Usher,  of  Hollis,  Maine.  By  her  warm 
interest  in  the  cuuso,  uiid  her  highly  cultivated  mind,  she 
added  much  to  my  hajjpiness,  and  lightened  those  days 
of  toil." 

In  a  letter  homo,  dated  tho  28th  of  May,  and  written 
from  Alexandria,  Miss  Usher  gives  tho  following  incidents 
of  her  hospital  experiences  there  and  at  City  Point : 

**  One  of  our  patients  —  a  young  man,  twenty-two  years 

old had  an  amputation  of  the   thigh  bone,  near  the  body, 

and  wo  nursed  him  very  anxiously,  hoping  ho  might  re 
cover,  yet  fearing  tho  worst ;  but  in  a  few  days  ho  was 
seized  with  one  of  those  alight  chilia  which  do  not  seem  an 


MISS    REBECCA    R.     USHER.  463 

alarming  symptom,  but  to  the  oye  of  an  experienced  sur 
geon  indicate  great  danger.  As  ho  was  gradually  sinking, 
I  wrote  daily  to  his  mother,  informing  her  of  every  change. 
One  morning,  us  I  wus  standing  at  his  bedside,  ho  took  a 
package  of  letters  from  under  his  pillow,  and  handing  them 
to  me,  said,  CI  want  you  to  keep  these  for  me.'  Then  ho 
gave  mo  a  lady's  ring,  saying,  feebly,  '  If  I  die  —  you  — 
will  answer  these  letters  —  won't  you  ?  —  and  return  —  the 
ring.'  ^Vuiting  sonio  time,  to  gain  u.  little  strength,  ho 
said,  suddenly,  C15end  your  car  close  down  to  my  lips.'  I 
bent  over  him,  and  ho  said,  in  an  earnest  tono,  as  if  his 
wholo  heart  was  in  tho  words*,  '  Tell  her  I  loved  her  all  the 
to/tile/'  c  I  will,'  I  said  ;  when  ho  looked  into  my  faco  with 
a  sat  is  tied  expression,  and  soon  fell  asleep.  Shortly  after  I 
found  it  my  duty  to  open  tho  package  and  perform  the  sad 
work  to  which  tho  dying  lover  hud  commissioned  mo. 

"Mrs.  C.,  a  widow  lady,  living  in  Iloulton,  Maine, 
had  lost  ono  son  in  tho  war,  and  cauio  to  our  hospital  in 
search  of  her  youngest  boy,  from  whom  she  had  received  a 
letter,  stating  that  in  battlo  boforo  Richmond,  ho  had  lost 
one  log,  wus  wounded  in  tho  other,  and  was  on  his  way  to 
City  Point.  After  waiting  a  fortnight,  and  hearing  nothing 
moro  from  him,  sho  sot  out  for  Washington,  and  wrote  to 
us  for  information.  Tho  stuto  agont,  Mr.  Hayes,  sourehed 
tho  hospital  records  through,  but  could  find  no  account  of 
him.  Then  sho  came  down  to  City  Point,  but  wo  could 
give  her  Httlo  encouragement.  The  supposition  was,  that 
he  hud  died  on  the  way  from  one  hospital  to  another,  and 
was  buried  as  '  unknown.'  Mr.  Hayes,  however,  offered 
to  go  up  to  the  front,  and  hunt  for  him.  Next  evening  he 


464  WOMEN    OF   THE    WAS. 

returned  with  the  cheering  report  that  he  wa/*  alive  and 
doing  very  well  in  one  of  the  hospitals.  f  Now/  said  I, 
'Mrs.  C.,  you'll  sleep  to-night  —  won't  you?'  *  O,  no,' 
she  replied  ;  'I'm  too  happy.  I  can't  sleep  now  till  I'm  at 
his  side.'  And  the  next  day  she  joined  her  boy." 


MOTHER    BYCKERDYKE. 

AMONG  tho  many  noble  women  whoso  names  will  bo 
forever  enshrined  with  those  of  tho  brave  defenders 
of  their  country,  that  of  Mrs.  Byckerdyko,  of  Illinois,  will 
bo  held  in  cspeciul  honor.  From  no  merely  romantic  im 
pulse,  but  acting  from  tho  dictates  of  her  mature  sense  of, 
ditty,  sho  entered  tho  service  of  tho  country  as  a  volunteer 
uurso  for  its  soldiers  early  in  tho  war,  and  continued  her 
woxk  of  patriotic  charity  until  tho  war  closed.  J3y  all 
those  who  remain  of  tho  armies  who  conquered  their  way 
down  tho  Mississippi,  Mrs.  Byckerdyko  is  affectionately 
and  gratefully  remembered,  as  ono  of  tho  most  constant, 
oiirucat,  determined,  and  efficient  laborers  for  their  health 
and  comfort  in  tho  hospital  and  in  tho  field. 

Mrs.  Byckerdyko,  who  is  a  woman  of  middlo  ago,  com 
menced  her  labors  for  tho  soldiers  in  August,  1861,  when, — 
at  hci  own  solicitation,  and  because  her  judgment  was 
confided  in  —  sho  was  sent  from  Galesburg,  Illinois,  to 
Cairo,  to  ascertain  what  was  needed  by  the  troops  stationed 
there.  After  ascertaining  tho  condition  of  affairs  thoro  and 
reporting,  her  Galesburg  friends  advised  her  to  remain, 
which  sho  did,  exerting  all  her  energies  to  remedy  tho 
many  miseries  attending  tho  establishment  of  a  largo  camp 
of  soldiers,  nearly  all  of  whose  officers  were  as  iguoraiit  of 
8O 


466  WOMEN    OF    TIJJ3    WAR. 

camp  discipline  as  themselves.  When  the  battle  of  Bcl- 
1110 ut  sent  a  large  number  of  tho  wounded  to  tho  Brigade 
Hospital  at  Mound  City,  aho  went  there,  and  remained  until 
tho  most  of  them  were  sent  to  their  homes. 

Returning;  herself  to  her  home,  she  •  barely  continued 
long  enough  to  put  her  household  in  order  for  a  more  pro 
longed,  absence.  She  had  enlisted  for  tho  war.  At  the 
bloody  field  of  Donelson  —  where  tho  sufferings  of  our 
wounded  were  most  distressing,  from  the  luck  of  medical 
attendance  and  the  severity  of  tho  weather  —  she  was  un 
tiring  in  her  efforts  for  the  poor  fellows.  She  took  a 
prominent  part  in  shipping  fivo  bout-loads  of  wounded 
me  11,  her  kind  and  motherly  caro  doing  more  than  aught 
else  to  save  tho  soldiers  from  neglect.  Hardly  through 
with  this  severe  labor  of  love,  she  was  in  a  few  days  called 
to  Pittsburg  Luiidiug,  to  assist  in  the  care  of  the  immense 
numbers  of  wounded  men  for  whom  tho  provisions  of  tho 
medical  department  were  not  half  adequate.  She  stationed 
herself  at  Savannah,  ten  miles  bclo\v  Pittsburg  Landing, 
where  the  most  of  our  wounded  were  brought.  jVu  inci 
dent  of  her  experience  while  there  will  illustrate  her 
character  better  than  anything  we  can  say.  It  was  told 
us  by  an  officer  who  was  at  Savannah  at  the  time. 

Governor  Harvey,  of  Wisconsin,  had  been  visiting  tho 
field  of  battle*  and  the  hospitals  there  and  at  Savannah, 
to  learn  what  \vaa  the  condition  and  what  were  the  wants 
of  the  soldiers  from  his  state.  He  had  a  small  but  excel 
lent  staff  of  volunteer  surgeons,  and  ten  tons  of  the  best 
sanitary  supplies.  Ho  saw  every  sick  and  wounded  \Vis- 
consin  soldier  individually,  and  gave  to  all  the  medical 


MOTHER    BYCKJEItmTKE.  467 

attendance  and  sanitary  supplies  they  needed.  Our  in 
formant  could  not  restrain  the  tears  ns  ho  recalled  the  kind 
acts,  the  cordial  and  sympathetic  greetings  of  this  noble- 
hearted  governor,  whoso  life  was  so  suddenly  ended  in  its 
prime  by  a  distressing  casualty.  After  his  work  was 
through,  Governor  Harvey  met  our  friend  at  the  Savannah 
levee,  perfectly  satisfied  that  he  had  dono  all  in  his  power, 
and  happy  that  ho  had  been  permitted  to  do  so  much  good. 
He  had  still  five  tons  of  sanitary  stores  left,  and  had  been 
in  great  doubt  as  to  what  to  do  with  them.  He  distrusted 
the  surgeons  in  charge  at  Savannah,  and  finally  concluded  to 
turn  over  the  stores  to  Mrs.  Hyckcrdyko.  He  had  known 
nothing  of  her  antecedents,  and  had  only  seen  her  while  at 
Savannah.  Still,  as  he  told  our  friend,  ho  observed  how 
efficient  she  was,  with  how  much  business-like  regularity 
she  was  performing  her  work,  and  that  honesty,  decision, 
and  judgment  seemed  written  on  her  plain  but  good-looking 
face.  Ho  would  trust  her,  and  no  one  else. 

After  the  governor's  death,  Mrs.  Byckerdyke  began  to 
suspect  that  her  'supplies  were  diverted  to  the  private  uses 
of  a  certain  surgeon's  mess.  She  resolved  to  stop  that, 
and  did,  in  a  very  summary  manner.  Going  into  the  tent 
of  this  surgeon  just  before  dinner,  she  discovered  on  the 
table  a  great  variety  of  the  jellies,  wines,  and  other  com 
forts  belonging  to  her  stores.  She  at  once  made  a  clean 
sweep  of  these  articles,  went  straight  down  to  the  levee, 
took  a  boat  to  Pittsburg  Landing,  saw  General  Grant,  and 
within  twenty-four  hours  had  the  guilty  surgeon  under 
arrest.  The  surgeons  had  little  disposition  to  interfere 
with  her  or  her  stores  after  this  example,  and  the  sick  and 


468  WOMEN    OP  THE   WAB. 

wounded  men  rejoiced  to  find  that  their  faithful  friend  had 
won  so  complete  a  victory. 

Occupied  all  the  time  of  the  Corinth  campaign  with  tho 
wounded  in  the  rear  of  General  Hallcck's  army,  she  was 
put  in  charge  of  the  Main  Hospital  at  Corinth,  when  our 
force  entered  that  place.  "VVb.ilo  there  her  indomitable 
force  and  determination  to  servo  tho  soldiers  had  another 
trial  and  another  victory.  Learning  that  a  brigade  was  to 
march  through  tho  hospital  grounds,  and  knowing  that  tho 
soldiers  would  be  nearly  exhausted  from  their  long  march 
under  a  burning  sun,  she  got  out  her  barrels  of  water  which 
had  been  brought  for  tho  men  in  hospital,  had  a  corps  of 
her  assistants  ready  with  pails  and  dippers,  and  gave  tho 
soldiers  water  as  they  passed  through.  When  the  com 
manding  officer  came  up,  Mrs.  Byckerdyke  asked  that  tho 
men  bo  halted  ;  but  ho  refused,  and,  going  ahead,  ordered 
his  men  to  march  along.  At  the  same  time  a  voice  in  tho 
rear  —  that  of  Mra.  Byckordyko  —  was  heard  giving  tho 
reverse  order,  ^Ilalt!  "  in  very  clear  tones.  The  woman's 
order  was  obeyed,  and  tho  w Tin  Cup  Brigade"  worked  en 
ergetically  for  a  few  minutes,  rejoicing  hi  tho  triumph  of 
tiicir  commander. 

At  the  siego  of  Vicksburg  Mrs.  Byckerdyko  undertook 
the  difficult  task  of  correcting  abuses  in  the  use  and  distri 
bution  of  sanitary  supplies.  The  lasting  gratitude  of  tho 
sick  and  wounded,  and  tho  approval  of  tho  higher  officers 
in  command,  attest  tho  fidelity  and  efficiency  with  which 
she  executed  this  trust.  She  was  not  at  all  times  a  wel 
come  guest  to  tho  agents  and  officers  having  in  charge 
sanitary  supplies.  One  of  these  latter  applied  to  head- 


MOTHER    BTGKERDYKE.  469 

quarters  to  have  a  woman  removed  from  his  hospital,  on 
the  complaint  of  improper  influence.  "  Who  is  she  ?  "  in- 
.quircd  the  general.  "  A  Mrs.  Byckcrdyke,"  replied  tho 
major.  "O,  well,"  said  tho  general,  "sho  ranks  me;'  you 
must  apply  to  President  Lincoln." 

After  the  battles  of  Mission  Ridge  and  Lookout  Moun 
tain  she  remained  in  the  field  thirty  days,  till  tho  last  of  tho 
wounded  were  removed  to  northern  hospitals,  working  with 
nil  her  rcMii:irk:iblo  energy,  and  with  her  untiring  determi 
nation,  that  tho  soldiers  should  he  well  cared  for.  On  tho 
Atlantic  campaign  sho  followed  tho  army  with  a  laundry, 
and  had  daily  from  fifteen  hundred  to  two  thousand  pieges 
wsahed,  besides  tho  bandages  and  rags  used  in.  dressing 
wounds.  In  addition  to  this  work,  which  was  more  than 
enough  for  one  woman  to  perform,  eho  superintended  tho 
cooking  for  tho  field  hospitals,  and,  when  tho  commissary 
stores  failctl,  supplied  tho  tables  from  those  of  tho  Chris 
tian  and  Sanitary  Commissions.  To  meet  emergencies, 
sho  has  been  known  to  take  passage-  in  an  afternoon  train, 
ride  fifteen  miles,  get  her  supplies  to  tho  hospital,  and 
have  the  bread  baked  and  distributed  to  over  a  thousand 
patients  the  same  day,  and  in  proper  season. 

Perhaps  a  good  idea  of  tho  nature  and  value  of  the  labors 
of  Airs.  Ilyckcrdyko  can  best  be  given  from  an  extract  of  a 
letter,  written  from  Chattanooga  by  Mrs.  Porter,  —  another 
noble  laborer  for  tho  soldiers,  —  soon  after  tho  battle  thcro. 
Mrs.  Porter  says,  — 

"  I  reached  this  place  on  New  Year's  Eve,  making  tho 
trip  of  tho  fow  miles  from  Bridgeport  to  Chattanooga  in 
twenty-four  hours.  New  Year's  morning  was  very  cold. 


470  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAH. 

I  went  immediately  to  tlio  field  hospital,  about  two  miles 
out  of  town,  where  I  found  Mrs.  Byckerdyko  hard  tit  work, 
as  usual,  endeavoring  to  comfort  tho  cold  and  suffering 
sick  and  wounded.  Tho  work  done  on  that  day  told  most 
happily  on  tho  comfort  of  Che  poor  wounded  men. 

"Tho  wind  came  sweeping  around  Lookout  Mountain, 
and  uniting  with  currents  from  the  valleys  of  Missionary 
Ridge,  pressed  in  upon  tho  hospital  tents,  overturning 
somo,  and  making  the  inmates  of  all  tremble  with  cold  and 
anxious  fear.  Tho  cold  had  been  preceded  by  a  great  miu, 
which  added  to  tho  general  discomfort.  Mrs.  Byckerdyko 
W/mt  from  tent  to  tent  iu  the  gale,  carrying  hot  bricks  and 
hot  drinks,  to  warm  and  to  cheer  the  poor  fellows.  r  She  is 
a  power  of  good,'  said  one  soldier.  '  We  fared  mighty 
poor  till  sho  como  here,'  said  another.  *  God  blesa  tho 
Sauitary  Commission,'  said  a  third,  f  for  sending  women 
among  us  I '  Tho  soldiers  fully  appreciate  c  Mother  Bycker- 
dyke,' —  as  they  call  her,  —  and  her  work.  » 

"Airs.  Byckerdyko  left  Vicksburg  at  the  request  of  Gen 
eral  Sherman  and  other  officers  of  his  corps,  as  they  wished 
to  secure  her  services  for  tho  then  approaching  battle.  Tho 
field  hospital  of  the  Fifteenth  (Sherman's)  army  corps  was 
situated  011  the  north  bunk  of  the  Genesee  River,  on  a 
slope  at  the  base  of  Missionary  Ridge,  where,  after  tho 
battle  was  over,  seventeen,  hundred  of  our  wounded  and  ex 
hausted  soldiers  were  brought.  Mrs.  Byckerdyko  reached 
there  before  tho  din  and  smoke  of  battle  were  well  over, 
and  before  all  were  brought  from  the  field  of  blood  and  car 
nage.  There  sho  remained  the  only  female  attendant  for 
four  weeks.  Never  has  she  rendered  more  valuable  service. 


MOTHER    BTCKEIU>YKE.  471 

Dr.  No  wherry  arrived  in  Chattanooga  with  sanitary  goods, 
which  Mrs.  Byckerdyko  hud  the  pleasure  of  using,  as  she 
says,  'just  when  and  whore  nodded;'  and -never  were  san 
itary  goods  more  deeply  felt  to  ho  good  goods.  '  What 
could  we  do  without  them?'  is  a  question  I  often  hear 
raised,  and  answered  with  a  hearty  'God  bless  the  Sanitary 
Commission,'  which  is  now  everywhere  acknowledged  as 
'  a  great  power  for  good.' 

"  The  field  hospital  was  iu  a  forest,  about  five  miles  from 
Chattanooga  ;  wood  was  abundant,  and  tho  camp  was 
warmed  by  immense  burning  '  log  heaps,'  which  were  tho 
only  fireplaces  or  cooking-stoves  of  tho  camp  or  hospitals. 
Men  wero  detailed  to  fell  tho  trees  and  pile  tho  logs  to 
heat  tho  air,  which  was  very  wintry  ;  and  beside  them  Mrs. 
Byckcrdyko  made  soup  and  toast,  tea  and  coffee,  and  broiled 
mutton,  without  a  gridiron,  often  blistering  her  fingers  in 
tho  process.  A  houso  in  duo  timo  was  demolished  to  make 
bunks  for  tho  worst  cases,  and  tho  brick  from  tho  chimney 
was  converted  into  an  oven,  when  Mra.  Byckcrdyko  made 
bread,  yeast  having  been  found  in  tho  Chicago  boxes,  and 
flour  at  a  neighboring  mill,  which  had  furnished  flour  to 
secessionists  through  tho  war  until  now.  Great  multitudes 
\vero  fed  from  theso  rudo  kitchens.  Companies  of  hungry 
soldiers  wero  refreshed  before  those  open  fireplaces  and 
those  ovens." 

Wo  will  merely  add  a  few  words  in  conclusion.  Mrs. 
Byckcrdyko  not  only  performed  a  great  work  in  tho  field, 
but  several  times  visited  the  leading  cities  of  tho  North-west, 
and  by  her  judicious  advice  did  much  to  direct  aright  the 
enthusiastic  patriotism  and  noble  charity  of  the  ladies  of 


472  WOM^IX  OF  THE  AVAR. 

that  region.  Tliey  needed  no  stimulus  to  effort.  Dis 
tinguished  from  1  the  outset  of  her  efforts  by  her  practical 
good  sense,  firmness  in  maintaining  the  rights  of  tho  sol 
diers,  and  nn  unceasing  energy,  she  was  soon  known  among 
Q.11  tho  western,  soldiers  as  one  of  their  best  and  most 
faithful  friends.  In  addition  to  the  consciousness  of  having 
performed  her  whole  duty,  INIrs.  Byckcrdyko  has  another 
reward  in  the  undying  gratitude  of  tho  thousands  of  gallant 
fellows  who  have  received  or  witnessed  her  motherly 
ministrations.  May  she  live  long  to  enjoy  both  of  these 
rewards  for  her  good  deeds. 


MRS.    ANN    niTZ. 

IN  all  tho  largo  cities  along  tho  border  there  were  a 
number  of  ladies  whoso  ago  or  whoso  family  cares 
did  not  allow  them  to  leave  homo  for  sanitary  enterprises, 
who,  notwithstanding  these  circumstance's,  performed  a 
largo  amount  of  very  valuable  hospital  service.  Washing 
ton  eity,  especially,  furnished  many  of  these  local  visitors, 
and  among  them  none,  perhaps,  AVUS  moro  active,  or  im 
pelled  by  higher  motives,  than  tho  wife  of  tho  resident 
Swiss  consul,  Air.  <Tolm  Hit/:. 

Tho  circumstance  that  Mrs.  IIit>s  is  a  foreign  lady  makes 
her  conduct  the  more  praiseworthy.  Many  of  the  ladies 
wero  drawn  towards  the  army  by  the  strongest  ties. 
They  had  sons,  brothers,  husbands,  and  old  neighbors  in 
tho  various  regiments.  In  hospitals  they  often  met  those 
they  had  known  all  their  lifetime,  and  whoii  bathing  a 
fevered  head,  or  bandaging  a  shuttered  arm,  tho  thought 
would  often  arise,  "  Perhaps  somo  other  woman  is  at  this 
moment  doing  this  very  kindness  to  iny  brother."  lint  tho 
charity  of  Airs.  Ilitis  could  have  no  such  incentives.  The 
union  of  tho  American  states  was  a  political  question  in 
which  sho  could  not  bo  expected  to  feel  a  direct  interest. 
The  number  of  Swiss  enlisted  in  tho  Union  ranks  was  small ; 
but  tho  fact  that  sho  spoke  tho  languages  of  Central  Europe, 


474  WOMEN"    OF    THE     WAR. 

and  could  appreciate  the  fool  ings  of  thto  Germans,  and  ad 
dress  them  in  their  mother  tongue,  mado  her  presonco  in 
the  Washington  hospitals  peculiarly  grateful  to  that  largo 
class  of  recruits  who  could  speak  hut  littlo  Knglisli. 

"My  labors  among-  the  soldiers,"  says  Mrs.  Ilitz,  "  began 
with  the  first  arrival  of  volunteers  in  Washington.  Tho 
weary,  travel-worn  men,  thankful  for  u.  kind  word,  a  cup  of 
coffee,  a  piece  of  bread,  were  always  mado  welcome  l>y  my 
husband  and  myself.  It  was  some  time  before  I  saw  tho 
necessity  of  the  Aid  Societies,  and  other  organizations, 
which  we  afterwards  found  so  useful. 

"  Among  the-  arrivals  of  troops  just  before  the  first  bat 
tle  at  Bull  Run  were  the  Twelfth  and  Twenty-fifth  Isrew 
York.  They  were  quartered  on  Capitol  Hill,  near  tho 
Gasparii*  House.  Wot  and  wcury  whoa  they  arrived,  no 
preparation  had  been  made  to  receive  them,  no  refresh 
ments  were  ut  hand,  mid  tho  commissary  arrangements 
were  imperfect.  Our  house  was  near  tho  camp,  and  my 
husband  throw  open  our  doors,  and  we  went  to  work  with 
a  will. 

"All  tho  boilers  wo  could  find  were  filled  with  coffee, 
and  we  collected  all  the  bread  we  could  either  buy  or  beg. 
Among  these  volunteers  we  found  some  littlo  German 
drummer  boys,  one  of  them  so  homesick  for  his  mother  ! 
CO,  madame,'  ho  would  exclaim,  'may  I  como  and  seo  you 
every  day?  You  are  so  like  my  mother  !  '  Poor  boy  !  In 
a  day  or  two  marching  orders  cume,  and  they  went  out  to 
that  first,  disastrous  battle.  When  ho  came  to  bid  mo 
good-by,  he  said,  *  Please  pray  for  me  and  my  comrade  ; 
ho  has  no  mother.'  The  teai^  fell  as  I  asked  God  to  bless 


MRS.    ANN    IIITZ.  475 

them  both.  They  were  in  the  engagement  the  next  day  ; 
ono  was  killed  aud  the  other  taken  prisoner,  but  managed 
to  niako  hid  escape. 

"  My  husband,  as  Swiss  consul,  and  a  member  of  the  Ger 
man  Aid  Society,  visited  the  hospitals  almost  daily,  and 
becoming  well  known,  whenever  a  patient  was  brought  in 
whoso  language-  could  not  bo  understood,  wo  were  sent  for. 
Olio  poor  man  from  New  VorkCity,  whoso  mind  was  much 
affected  by  his  sufferings,  could  not  be  induced  to  tako  any 
food  except  such  as  I  cooked  and  carried  him.  In  his 
delirium  ho  imagined  that  I  was  indeed  his  mother,  and  that 
the  nurse  was  trying  to  poison  him. 

"  On  his  return  to  tho  No«;th,  us  ho  passed  through  Balti 
more,  he  recognised  tho  place  where  tho  regiment  to  which 
ho  belonged  had  been  attacked  by  the  mob,  and  recovered 
his  wandering  souses.  From  his  brother  I  afterwards  re 
ceived  a  letter  of  grateful  acknowledgments  for  what  I  had 
been  able  to  do  for  him  in  his  sulToring  and  helpless  condi 
tion. 

"One  of  the  nurses  at  Armory  Square  Hospital  sent  mo 
word  that  there  was  a  patient  there  whoso  language  110  one 
of  them  could  understand.  On  going  down  I  found  a  poor 
German,  suffering  sadly  from  a  wounded  limb,  unable  to 
make  his  wants  known,  and  apparently  about  to  die. 

w  As  soon  us  I  spoko  to  him,  tho  effect  of  a  fow  words  of 
his  mother  tongue  operated  like  magic.  For  some  timo  I 
attended  him  daily,  and  all  seemed  well,  till  ono  day  a 
sudden  change  came  upon  him.  He  sent  a  special  message 
to  me,  and  I  took  with  me  a  priest  to  his  bedside,  as  ho 
was  a  Catholic.  We  saw  him  die  in  peace. 


476  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

**  After  the  great  "battle  of  Aiitietam,  when  even  the 
Capitol  was  crowded  with  the  wounded,  Dr.  Campbell  came 
to  mo  0110  morning",  and  wished  me  to  visit  one  of  his 
patients  in  the  old  House  of  Representatives.  I  found  there 
a  poor  fellow  from  Pennsylvania  refusing  to  take  either 
food  or  medicine,  but  bogging  for  some  OIIQ  to  pray  Air  him. 
I  knelt  by  his  cot,  and  when  I  arose  ho  was  calm,  and 
willing  to  do  anything  I  advised  him.  lie  recovered,  and 
always  insisted  that  it  was  that  prayer  that  saved  his  life. 

"At  Mount  Pleasant  Hospital  there  was  another  patient 
who  had  not  found  any  one  who  could  understand  a  word 
he  said, till  they  sent  for  me. 

**Ho  was  delirious,  and  believed  the  nurses,  and  even  hid 
own  wife,  who  had  now  conic  to  attend  him,  wore  trying 
to  poison  him,  and  ho  would  not  take  n.  mouthful  of  food. 
After  praying  with  him  and  dressing  his  wounds,  ho  grew 
calm,  and  consented  to  do  everything  I  wished  of  him. 

**  Several  cases  like  this  came  under  my  care,  and  I  found 
no  difficulty  in  managing  them.  My  only  secret  was,  that  I 
never  lost  patience  with  them,  listened  quietly  to  all  their 
complaints,  sympathised  with  their  hardships,  and  gradually 
led  them  to  do  what  was  for  the  best." 

Miss  Hall,  Airs.  Fowlo,  and  all  who  were  active  in  the 
"Washington  hospitals,  unite  in  their  praises  of  Mrs.  Ilitz. 
Hundreds  of  sick  and  dying  Germans  made  her  their 
mother  confessor,  and  she  could  be  seen  almost  every  clay 
sitting  by  the  cot  of  some  sufferer,  and  reading  blessed 
words  of  heavenly  consolation  in  tones  that  recalled  the 
fatherland  and  the  homo  from  which  they  were  so  far  away. 
•  She  -was  beloved  and  honored  by  a  great  number  of 


MRS.     ANN    H1TZ.  477 

American,  soldiers,  whoso  named  sho  never  know,  and  whoso 
fucos  sho  has  forgotten. 

w  When  travelling  in  the  East,"  she  writes,  "  I  have  been 
at  many  places  unexpectedly  recognized  by  fine-looking 
young  men,  who  caino  forward  with,  c  Mother  Ilitz, 
don't  you  remember  mo?'  My  experience,"  she  adds, 
"among  tho  American  soldiers  has  been  altogether  a  most 
pleasant  one.  Certainly  more  patient,  God-fearing  men 
could  not  bo  found  in  any  army  ;  and  it  is  but  a  just  tributo 
to  tho  young  men  of  this  country  for  mo  to  say,  that  in  all 
my  visits  among  them  in  camps  and  hospitals,  as  long  as 
the  war  continued,  I  never  heard  a  word  improper  for  tho 
car  of  a  lady.** 


"AUNT   LIZZIE"  AND  "MOTHER." 

AMONG  a  groat  number  of  unostentatious,  but  effective 
and  noble-hearted  hospital  nurses,  who  labored  with 
the  sick  of  Grant's  aiid  Sherman's  armies  in  the  West,  two, 
•who  went  from  Peoria,  Illinois,  deserve  special  mention. 

Neither  matrons  nor  lady  superintendents,  they  have  left 
a  record  of  love,  admiration,  and  gratitude  on  the  hearts  of 
thousands  whom  they  saw  and  nursed  in  the  hospitals. 

They  were  Miss  Lizzie  Aiken  and  Mrs.  Sturgis,  or, 
as  the  soldiers  always  called  them,  "Aunt  Lizzie"  and 
«  Mother." 

Although  they  labored  at.  other  points,  it  is  for  their  work 
in  the  Memphis  Hospitals  that  they  are  principally  known 
and  moat  affectionately  remembered. 

Their  appearance,  language,  service,  and  tho  extent  of 
their  usefulness  will  best  bo  understood  from  tho  letters  of 
soldiers  who  were  under  their  care,  and  saw  most  of  their 
life  at  Memphis. 

Charles  M.  Kendall,  a  Wisconsin  soldier,  writes,  "On 
the  2d  of  February,  1863,  I  was  sent  to  tho  Adams  Hospi 
tal,  in  Memphis,  having  met  with  a  serious  accident  in 
breaking  one  of  my  shoulders,  so  as  to  disable  me  for  field 
service.  The  first  word  of  consolation  that  I  received  was 

0*78) 


AUNT    LIZZIE  "    AND    W  MOT1IEU."  479 


from  'Aunt  Li^isic.*  She  came  to  mo  "with,  these  words  : 
'My  dear  boy,  what  can  I  do  for  you?9 

n  I  felt  sure  from  that  moment,  that,  ns  long  as  she  staid 
in  the  hospital,  I  should  not  want  for  anything.  Alter  I 
was  able  to  do  duty,  I  was  put  in  charge  of  one  of  the 
wards.  There  I  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  what  tho 
ladies  were  doing  to  alleviate  the  sufferings  of  our  bravo 
boys.  About  this  time  I  also  beeaino  acquainted  with 
'Mother/  Kvcry  one  called  her  by  that  iiamo  ;  and  for  me, 
it  was  easy  to  follow  their  example,  for  she  seemed  to  havo 
tho  feelings  of  a  mother  for  all  of  us.  I  do  not  suppose 
any  soldier  ever  asked  for  anything  he  ought  to  have,  that 
she  did  not  procure  it.  If  she  could  not  get  it  of  the  Com 
missions,  she  would  buy  it  for  him  with  her  own  money. 
I  saw  her  in.  the  wards  by  night  and  by  day  for  months, 
preparing  and  giving  suitable  food  to  tho  sickest  of  the 
men. 

**A  careful  observation  of  over  two  years  has  taught  me 
that  nursing  is  fully  as  important  as  medicine.  In  tho 
wards  where  there  was  tho  beat  nursing,  there  were  always 
the  fewest  deaths. 

*'  "\Vhcn  the  sanitary  stores  were  nearly  expended,  theso 
ladies  hit  upon  the  idea  of  getting  up  a  Soldiers'  Fair,  from 
which  they  realized  quite  a  large  sum  of  money.  "Whenever 
they  could  iiiid  time,  they  would  go  from  house  to  houso 
asking  for  donations. 

"  Though  spurned  from  somo  doors,  and  insulted  at  other 
houses,  they  never  faltered,  but  kept  on  till  they  were 
successful.  The  money  thus  obtained  was  judiciously  ex 
pended,  and  the  amount  of  good  accomplished  cannot  be 
estimated. 


480  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR, 

"  Towards  the  close  of  tho  war,  when  some  of  tho 
Andcrsonvillo  prisoners  were  brought  up  tho  Mississippi 
River,  the  bout  on  which  they  camo  remained  several  hours 
at  Memphis.  Those  ladies  wore  soon  on  board,  working 
with  a  will  ;  and  many  a  poor,  starving  soldier  was  feelingly 
refreshed  in  body  and  mind  by  tho  visit  of  thcso  nngols  of 
mercy.  Often  did  I  hear  tho  exclamation,  'God  bless  that 
woman  !  AVhy,  she  talks  just  like  mother  ;  and  who  is  sho, 
that  sho  takes  so  much  interest  in  my  welfare?' 

"Then,  again,  when  that  terrible  disaster  took  place,  tho 
explosion  of  the  Sultana,  as  usual  they  were  on  hand,  doing 
all  in  their  power  for  tho  sufferers.  I  have  known  a  great 
many  men  in.  their  dying  moments  send  for  some  lady  to 
come  and  talk  with  them.  How  often  have  I  seen  c  Mother  ' 
sit  by  their  cots  and  point  them  to  tho  Lamb  of  God  ! 
Doubtless  many  a  soul  is  happy  in  heaven  to-day,  saved 
through  tho  intluonco  of  that  Christian,  woman  in  tho  dying 
hours  of  lifo. 

n  These  ladies  can  never  receive  their  full  reward  till  they 
hear  tho  welcome  plaudits  ih  tho  blessed  kingdom.  Many 
other  ladies  there  were,  who,  for  their  noble  course, 
deserve  all  tho  praise  that  words  can  bestow.  £>otno  of 
them  are  dead,  and  their  names  will  never  appear  in  human 
histories  ;  but  tho  good  they  accomplished  will  never  bo 
forgotten  by  us  private  soldiers." 

Another  soldier,  Charles  P.  Hopkins,  of  Indiana,  fur 
nishes  tho  following  charming  sketch  of  'Aunt  Lizzie1  in  tho 
hospital,  and  tho  reputation  thcso  ladies  enjoyed  iimong 
the  western  soldiers  :  — 

w  I  entered  the  United  States   army,"  says  he,  "  Company 


"AUNT  LIZZIE"  AND  "MOTIIEU."  481 

K,  7th  Ivansu-s  cavalry,  John  Brown,  Jr.,  my  captain,  iu 
September,  1861.  Nothing  worth  record  occurred  till  Oc 
tober,  1862,  \vhcu  wo  were  at  Kicuzi,  Mississippi,  and  took 
part  in  tho  ever-memorable  battle  of  Corinth.  There  I  first 
saw  the  true  heroism  of  our  noble  northern  ladies,  flitting 
from  one  to  another  of  the  wounded,  speaking  words  of 
comfort,  cheering  tho  depressed,  binding  up  wounds, 
moistening  tho  lips  of  those  from  tho  front  who  came 
nearly  perishing  with  thirst  and  loss  of  blood. 

*e  Soon  after  this  battle  I  was  taken  sick,  and  sent  to 
Paduciih,  where  I  heard  boundless  praises  of  'Aunt  Lizzie  ' 
and  '  Mother  Sturgis.' 

"  So  often  did  I  hear  them  mentioned,  and  iu  terms  so 
warm,  that  I  cauio  to  look  upon  them  as  angels  in  disguise. 

"  In  March,  18G3, 1  was  discharged,  but  during  tho  follow 
ing  summer  regained  my  health,  and  rcen  listed  in  tho  7th 
Indiana  cavalry.  Tho  winter  following  was  very  severe. 
Many  of  our  boys  fell  a  prey  to  disease,  myself  among  tho 
number.  On  tho  1st  of  March,  18(J4,  I  was  scut  to  tho 
Adams  Hospital,  in  Memphis. 

"Hear  I  first  saw 'Aunt  Lizzie, 'of  whom  I  had  heard  tho 
boys  speak  in  such  exalted  terms.  I  was  very  sick  at  tho 
time.  Three  of  my  comrades  had  been  numbered  with  tho 
dead,  and  I  had  given  up  all  hopes  of  again 

•Mounting  barbed  fitcedd  to  fright  the  souls  of  fearful  adversaries,  • 

but  lay  calmly  waiting  for  what  might  come,  when  'Aunt 
Lixzie'  came  through  our  ward.  How  well  do  I  remember 
that  evening  !  Let  mo  describe  her  as  I  saw  her  then.  A 
little  old  lady,  dressed  iu  brown,  with  a  red  son  tag  over 
31 


482  WOMEX    OF    TIIE     WAR. 

her  shoulders ;  black  hnir,  interlaced  with  silver,  and  neatly 
brushed.  She  carried  a  pair  of  silver-bowed  spectacles  in 
her  left  hand,  and  with  the  right,  which  looked  smooth  and 
soft,  she  grasped  tho  hand  or  stroked  the  forehead  of  every 
patient  as  she  camo  to  his  bedside,  all  the  while  speaking 
words  of  comfort,  and  throwing  out  her  sympathies  broad 
cast,  with  smiles  so  winning  and  motherly,  that  tears  would 
moisten  our  eyes,  and  great  unspoken  words  of  lovo  and 
gratitude  well  up  from  tho  hearts  of  us  poor  sufferers  as 
she  passed. 

"  When  she  came  to  my  cot  with  that  kindly  touch  on  my 
forehead  and  the  stereotyped  inquiry,  in  a  tone  so  sympa 
thetic  that  it  could  never  grow  old,  l  Well,  my  boy,  how  do 
you  do  to-day?  Are  you  better?  *  it  was  too  much  for  me. 
I  cried,  and  could  have  fallen  down  and  dono  homago  to  a 
spirit  so  saintly.  From  that  hour  I  began  to  get  well,  and 
was  soon  strong  enough  to  do  light  service  around  tho 
hospital.  So  they  made  mo  baggage  master,  and  I  had 
charge  of  all  the  boys*  knapsacks  as  they  were  brought  in. 
I  often  visited  'Aunt  Lizzio'  and  'Mother  Sturgis*  in  their 
room,  and  found  that  they  gave,  not  only  tho  whole  day, 
but  a  part  of  tho  night,  to  these  labors  of  charity.  Tho 
day  was  spent  chiefly  in  tho  different  wards  in.  nursing  tho 
sickest  patients.  After  tho  gas  was  lighted,  thero  they  sat, 
'  Mother  '  o.i  t*.  ;«lo  of  a  table,  *  Aunt  Lizzie*  on  tho  other, 
mending  tho  blue  regulation  pants  or  tho  frock  of  somo 
neglected  soldier  boy,  or  darning  a  pile  of  socks,  and  sing 
ing,  'Home,  sweet  home,'  or,  *  Wo  are  coming,  Father 
Abraham.' 

"  It   was    a    treat  to   go   through  'Aunt  Lizzie's*  ward  with 


"AUNT  LIZZIE"   AJMX>   "  MOTHER."  483 

her.  She  know  tho  stato  from  which  every  one  of  them 
enlisted,  and  would  say,  *  How  arc  you  iiow,  Wisconsin  ?  * 
or,  '  How  does  my  Michigan  boy  feol  this  morning?'  and, 
'Indiana,  how  is  he?'  and  so  on  all  through  tho  Avard. 
They  would  smile  in  all  their  pain  when  she  was  talking 
with  them.  Did  they  ask  for  anything,  she  did  all  in  her 
power  to  procure  it  for  them,  frequently  taking  from  her 
own.  scanty  allowance  to  purchase  an  article  if  it  was  not 
among  tho  stores.  Never  weary,  always  ready  ;  no  matter 
at  what  hour,  if  help  was  wanting,  she  was  there. 

"  And  '  Mother  '  —  no  day  was  too  long  or  night  too 
dreary  for  her.  Often  I  found  her  at  midnight  beside  tho 
cot  of  some  poor  boy  about  to  enter  tho  vast  Unknown  ;  tho 
tear  of  sympathy  in  her  eye,  putting  to  his  lips  some  cool 
ing  draught,  or  trying  to  stay  the  fast-ebbing  sands  of  his 
life  with  some  carefully-mixed  punch  or  cSS~no&*  tho 
materials  for  which  she  had  bought  from  her  own  slender 
purse.  There  were  others  in  this  hospital  who  performed 
excellent  service  —  Mrs.  Brake  and  Jenny  Matheson  in  wards 
li  and  C.  Lotty  Covell  was  to  bo  found  from  early  dawn 
till  late  at  night  in  tho  diet  kitchen  of  ward  B,  and  Mrs. 
Webb  in  tho  kitchen  of  ward  A,  while  our  two  noblo 
'Maggies,'  as  wo  called  them,  Miss  Miller  and  Miss  Staffer, 
had  charge  of  tho  linen-room." 

No  correct  estimate  can  ever  be  had  of  tho  good  ac 
complished  by  these  quiet,  earnest,  Christian  nurses  during 
tho  four  years  of  their  unceasing  devotion. 

\Vhen  tho  war  was  almost  over,  "  Aunt  Lizzie  "  stated  to 
a  friend  that  she  had  kept  count  of  nearly  all,  and  it  was 
then  about  three  thousand  soldiers  to  whom  sho  had  read 


484  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAR. 

passages  of  tho  Bible,  with  whom  she  had  prayed,  and 
•whose  eyes  sho  had  then  closed  in  death.  In  how  many 
coses  these  dying  exercises  were  of  unspeakable  importance 
to  the  parting  soul,  is  known  only  to  the  recording  angel. 
But  in  reflecting  upon  such  opportunities  of  Christian,  uac- 
fulness  so  admirably  improved,  wo  arc  permitted  to  suppose 
that  they  will  not  fail  to  win  for  her  at  last  the  golden 
sentence,  "  They  that  turn  many  to  righteousness  shall 
shine  as  the  stars  forever  and  ever." 


MISS    MARY    K    DUPEE. 

MISS  DUPEE,  of  Portland,  Maine,  for  about  a  year 
acted  ns  a  nurse  at  tho  Naval  School  Hospital,  iii 
Annapolis,  and  afterwards  went  to  tho  Union  lines  before 
Richmond,  as  an  agent  of  tho  Maino  Camp  and  Hospital 
Association,  where  she  remained  till  tho  war  ended. 

She  went  to  Annapolis,  in  company  with  Miss  Susan 
Nowhnll,  of  Portland,  on  tho  3d  of  August,  1863.  These 
young  ladies  hero  found  a  broad  and  most  interesting  field 
of  labors,  engaging  at  once  tho  activities  of  tho  hands  and 
tho  deepest  sympathies  of  the  heart. 

Miss  Dupec  had  thirteen  wards  assigned  to  her  for  regu 
lar  visitation,  each  ward  containing  from  six  to  eight  cots  ; 
and  much  of  tho  time  every  cot  was  occupied. 

The  majority  of  tho  patients  at  this  hospital  were  Union 
soldiers,  just  released  from  tho  horrible  and  infamous  rebel 
prison  pens  at  Andcrsoiiville,  Salisbury,  Belle  Isle,  and 
tho  Libby.  Hero  they  came,  in  all  their  rags  and  squalor, 
to  be  clothed,  fed,  nursed,  and  cheered ;  to  be  consoled 
into  forgctfulncss  of  tho  atrocious  scenes  they  had  so  long 
witnessed  ;  to  bo  reassured  of  tho  gratitude  and  sympathy 
of  their  friends  at  homo  ;  many  of  them,  alas  !  only  to  havo 
their  eyes  closed  by  Christian  hands,  and  their  skeleton 
frames  laid  to  rest  in  Christian  graves. 


486  WOMEX    OF    THE    WAR. 

They  dropped  tho  filthy  rags  that  hardly  covered  their 
wasted  forms  outsido  tho  doors  of  tho  building,  and  after 
being  thoroughly  washed  and  dressed  in  clean  shirts  and 
drawers,  were  laid  in.  comfortable  beds.  Then  the  ladies 
could  commence  their  ministries  of  sympathy  and  kindness. 
At  first  tho  poor  fellows,  starved  as  they  were,  did  not 
think  much  about  food.  They  wero  content  to  lie  perfectly 
still,  and  wonder  if  it  was  really  so,  that  they  wero  alive 
and  drcsacd  in  clean  clothes,  and  if  these-  wero  real  women 
who  came  to  their  bedsides  with,  cambric  handkerchiefs 
fragrant  with  cologne,  giving  them  words  of  tho  tendcr- 
est  pity,  more  refreshing  than  their  perfume. 

As  soon  as  they  wore  in  some  degree  comfortable,  tho 
first  request  was  for  paper  and  pen  and  ink,  that  they 
might  write  homo.  Many  wero  too  weak  to  do  this  for 
themselves,  and  tho  ladies  in  those  coses  acted  as  secre 
taries.  Nothing  seemed  to  give  moro  satisfaction,  than  to 
have  a  lady  pass  some  time  at  their  bedside  and  listen  to 

tlio  fearful  story  of  their  life  in  tho  stockaclo tho  horrors, 

tho  sickness,  tho  slow  starvation,  tho  uncounted  deaths. 

In  two  or  three  days,  those  whose  constitutions  wore  not 
entirely  sapped  would  commence  to  rally  ;  and  then,  such 
hunger  !  Their  diet  was  regulated  by  the  surgeons,  but 
considerable  discretion  was  allowed  Miss  Dupee  and  her 
associates  in  adding  to  tho  regular  faro  such  harmless  deli 
cacies  as  custards,  eggs,  jollies,  with,  which,  they  \vero  liber 
ally  supplied  by  tho  different  Commissions.  Miss  Hall, 
the  lady  superintendent,  says  that  many  of  them,  when  re 
covering,  had  apparently  no  other  aim  or  thought  boyond 
getting  enough,  to  eat.  Yet  so  deep  had  been  the  inroads 


MISS    MARY    E.     IMJPEB.  487 

of  the  long  succession  of  hardships  upon  thoso  constitu 
tions,  which  a  few  months  boforo  wore  vigorous,  that  it  was 
a,  long  time  before  tho  moat  generous  diet  scorned  to  restore 
health.  Many  would  rally,  and  mend  for  somo  weeks,  and 
then  in  somo  unaccountable  way  he  found  dead  in  their  cots 
in  tho  morning.  Somo  believed  that  rebel  malignity  had 
added  a  slow  and  subtilo  poison  to  the  little  food  they  had 
to  eat  in  the  stockade. 

Tho  ladies  visited  ouch  patient  ouco  n  day,  aud  the  very 
sick  as  much  oftciier  as  possible  ;  reading  to  somo,  writing 
for  others,  talking  with  all. 

"  We  are  not  used  to  this  sort  of  treatment,"  they  would 
say,  "  but  rather  to  being  spit  upon,  like  dogs  !  " 

Tho  soldiers  called  tho  ladies  "  sunbeams,"  and  thoy  were 
justly  proud  of  tho  title.  Oiio  would  slowly  turn  his  head 
to  find  among  the  cots  tho  boarded  face  of  a  fellow-sufferer, 
and  then  call  out,  '*  I  say,  partner,  don't  it  seem  liko  a 
streak  of  daylight  to  see  these  girls  walking  around  our 
beds  hero?" 

Among  the  Bo  lie  Isle  prisoners  Miss  Dupoe  found  a  very 
interesting  boy,  from  Durham,  Maine,  only  eighteen  years 
old.  "When  sho  first  saw  him  ho  was  lying  on  his  cot  look 
ing  so  happy  and  contented  that  she  could  hardly  think  he 
had  a  trouble.  He  showed  some  bad-looking  sores  on  his 
feet  and  hands  which  were  quite  painful.  His  head  aud  eyes 
wero  so  weary  and  weak,  that  ho  could  not  read  ;  and  sho 
modo  it  a  special  duty  to  pass  an  hour  every  day  with  him, 
reading  to  him  and  talking.  Nothing  appeared  to  give  him 
so  much  pleasure  as  her  visits.  He  seemed  in  a  fair  way  to 


488  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAK. 

recover,  and  could  sit  up  occasionally,  and  go  out  on  tho 
walk  a  little  whilo  when  it  was  pleasant.  The  surgeon  said 
ho  would  never  be  fit  for  lino  service  again,  as  his  sight 
was  dimmed,  and  ho  told  him  ho  would  try  and  get  him  a 
discharge.  This  delighted  him  very  much  ;  and  as  sho  en 
tered  tho  ward  ho  exclaimed,  *' O,  Miss  Dupee,  the  doctor 
has  promised  my  discharge  to-morrow.  Are  not  you  glad  ?  " 
Sho  congratulated  him,  and  assured  him  of  her  heartfelt 
sympathy.  Sho  had  brought  a  few  lines  of  poetry,  which 
she  found  in  a  newspaper,  and  read  to  him.  Then  sho 
bade  him  good  night.  Two  hours  after  he  sprang  sud 
denly  from  his  bed  in  a  convulsion,  and  expired  almost 
instantly.  Poor  fellow  !  it  was  not  tho  discharge  ho  was 
looking  .  for. 

Another  of  her  patients  lived  in  St.  Louis.  Ho  had 
been  very  ill,  and  was  promised  a  furlough  as  soon  ho  could 
bear  tho  journey.  Ho  improved  rapidly,  and  wroto  homo 
tho  good  i*cws  that  ho  would  bo  strong  enough  to  start  in  a 
few  days.  Two  of  his  sisters  had  deferred  their  wedding 
days  while  ho  was  in  prison,  but  when  ho  was  so  much  better, 
concluded  to  wait  no  longer,  and  were  married  tho  samo 
evening.  All  at  once  his  disease  assumed  a  now  form,  and 
he  entered  upon  his  rest.  Touching  and  sad  beyond  com 
parison  was  the  letter  Miss  Dupce  received  from  his  sisters 
in  answer  to  hers,  giving  all  tho  details  of  their  brother's 
death  and  burial. 

After  passing  nearly  a  year  in  thcso  wards  of  tho  Naval 
School  Hospital,  Miss  Dupee,  early  in  the  year  18G5,  went 
to  City  Point  and  joined  Mrs.  Mayhcw  and  Miss  Usher, 


MISS    MART    £2.     DOI'EE.  489 

\vho  were  devoted  principally  to  ascertaining  and  relieving 
tho  wants  of  soldiers  from  Maine. 

The  association  in  Portland,  though  not  largo,  was  very 
active,  and  kept  these  noble  women  abundantly  supplied 
with  everything  that  could  in  any  way  add  to  tho  comfort 
and  happiness  of  tho  men.  . 

The  Maine  agency  was  a  wonder  in  tho  army  before  Pe 
tersburg,  and  tho  care  taken  by  that  state  of  her  volunteers 
a  subject  of  remark  among  all  tho  troops.  "  Next  time  I 
enlist,"  was  a  frequent  saying  with  tho  boys,  "it  will  be 
in  a  Maine  regiment."  Many  belonging  to  other  states 
came  to  tho  Maine  agency.  Tho  ladies  always  helped  them 
when  they  could  do  so  without  denying  their  own  men. 
Sometimes  those  who  claimed  to  be  from  Maine  did  not 
know  whether  it  was  tho  name  of  a  town,  a  city,  or  a  state. 
Some  amusing  revolutions  of  geographical  knowledge  would 
often  bike  place  when.  Mrs.  May  hew  or  Miss  Dupco  would 
question  them  about  their  homes  iu  Maine.  Hut  the  rule 
of  confining  the  supplies  to  men  from  that  state  was  by  no 
means  strict,  and  few  ever  left  the  "  log  cabin  "  without 
taking  with  them  something  from  Maine. 

After  the  capture  of  Richmond  tho  agency  was  removed 
to  Alexandria,  and  there  Miss  Dupee  and  her  associates 
continued  to  search  for  men  from  their  state  in  tho  hospi 
tals,  and  to  supply  the  wants  of  tho  Maine  regiments  within 
their  reach,  until  tho  grand  armies  of  tho  Union  were  dis 
banded,  and  tho  great  hospitals  emptied. 

Iii  reviewing  her  cnmp  and  hospital  labors,  Miss  Dupeo 
says,  "  I  look  back  upon  my  time  passed  in  this  work  as 


490  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAK. 

being  the  most  satisfactory  of  any  period  in  my  life.  I 
shall  ever  be  thankful  that  I  was  able  to  contribute  in  any 
degree  to  the  comfort  of  our  brave  soldiers,  for  it  is  an. 
experience  that  I  prize  above  everything  else.  God  grant 
that  those  who  have  been  spared  may  never  have  cause  to 
feel  that  they  are  neglected  or  despised  by  those  in  whoso 
defence  they  gave  up  everything  but  life  itself  I  " 


MRS.    ELIZABETH    MENDENHALL, 

AND   OTHER  WORKERS   AT   CINCINNATI. 

IN  most  of  tho  important  cities  near  tho  border  thero 
were  a  large  number  of  those  who  became,  during  the 
war,  regular  hospital  visitors,  devoting  a  part,  and  often  tho 
whole,  of  each  day  to  tho  sick  and  wounded  whom  they 
found  in  tho  wards  of  tho  various  military  hospitals.  In 
Cincinnati,  whero  thero  were  suffering  soldiers  from  the 
summer  of  1861  till  tho  conclusion  of  tho  war  hi  1865, 
among  the  most  active  and  constant  in  these  labors  was 
Mrs.  Mendenhall.  Though  reared  iu  Richmond,  she  was 
one  of  thoso  Southern  women  whoso  natural  kindness  of 
heart  and  sympathy  with  suffering  prevented  her  from  ever 
defending  or  sustaining  tho  social  institutions  of  that  por 
tion  of  tho  country  ;  and  when  the  rebellion  broke  out, 
though  her  relatives  were  citizens  of  the  South,  a  war  for 
the  perpetuation  of  slavery  seemed  to  her  so  utterly  unjust 
and  iniquitous,  that  all  her  sympathies  were  enlisted  on  the 
side  of  tho  Union  and  its  defenders.  At  the  first  call  to 
arms  she  was  active  in  suggesting  and  regulating  the 
industry  of  those  sewing  circles  which  were  organized  in  all 
loyal  communities,  and  which  were  so  useful  in  perfecting 
and  renewing  the  wardrobe  of  our  volunteers. 

Early  in   the  year  1862  Cincinnati   began  to  bo  a  hospital 

(iOi) 


492  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

centre  for  the  army  operating  under  General  Grant,  and  in 
a  few  weeks  was  filled  with  the  blood-stained  heroes  of 
Fort  Donclson  uucl  Pittsburg  Landing.  For  the  two  years 
and  a  half  that  followed,  Mrs.  Mendenhall  was  a  constant 
hospital  visitor  and  nurse.  She  always  spent  half,  but 
more  frequently  the  whole-,  of  each  day  among  tho  sick  and 
wounded,  working  in  any  capacity  that  she  could  to  in 
crease  their  comfort.  As  her  excellence  in  judgment  and 
skill  as  a  iiurso  became  known,  the  surgeons  in  charge  gave 
her  grout  facilities  and  such  needful  authority  to  regulate 
the  affairs  of  each  ward  as  she  thought  best.  She  enjoyed, 
also,  tho  entire  confidence  of  the  United  States  Sanitary 
Commission,  and  had  an  understanding  with  its  agents,  by 
virtue  of  which  she  could  go  to  their  rooms  and  take  sup 
plies  of  anything  she  found  on  hand  suitable  for  her 
patients. 

On  the  recurrence  of  the  national  holidays,  as  Thanks 
giving  and  Independence,  she  was  specially  active  in 
securing,  from  a  generous  public,  a  bountiful  supply  of 
provisions,  to  enable  the  wounded  and  convalescent  soldiers 
to  forget  the  grim  necessity  that  separated  them  from  their 
own  homes. 

Labors  and  charities  of  this  character  occupied  her 
time  until  tho  fall  of  18G3,  when  her  activity  took  a 
larger  range,  and  was  exhibited  on.  a  more  conspicuous 
theatre. 

It  was  the  pen  of  Mrs.  Mendenhall  that  first  stirred  tho 
citizens  of  Cincinnati  to  emulate  the  splendid  enterprise 
of  her  sister  and  rival  city,  Chicago,  in  the  inauguration  of 
the  Great  "Western  Sanitary  Fair.  In  that  noble  work  she 


MRS.     ELIZABETH    MENDENIIALL.  493 

took  among  the  lady  managers  the  position  of  leader,  us 
well  by  her  natural  force  of  character,  as  by  the  excellent 
spirit  •which  prompted  her  labors* 

She  prepared  and  sent  abroad  among  tho  communities  of 
tho  great  North-West  an  appeal  to  all  classes  and  ages, 
every  trade  and  occupation,  arid  all  tho  professions,  to 
contribute  whatever  they  eould  to  muko  tho  Fair  a  mag 
nificent  success,  and  give  it  tho  scope  of  a  national  en 
terprise. 

Another  and  special  appeal  was  also  made  by  her  to 
w  Patriotic  Young  Ladies  of  tho  North- West,  and  of  Cin 
cinnati  in  particular,  interested  in  the  welfare  of  tho 
soldiers,"  asking  them  that,  "  instead  of  laboring  to  make 
valuable  presents,  on  the  approaching  holidays,  to  those 
Tvho  did  not  stand  in  need  of  comforts,  that  they  make 
such  articles  and  donate  them  to  the  Fair,  for  the  benefit 
of  those  brave  men  who  had  sacrificed  home,  friends,  and 
all  that  was  dear  to  them,  to  defend  their  homes." 

During  tho  months  of  November,  December,  and  January, 
JVIrs.  Moiulenhall  was  wholly  engrossed  with  tho  business 
of  the  Great  Fair,  and  she  and  all  her  co-laborers  were 
abundantly  paid  for  their  exertions  in  the  unequalled  suc 
cess  with  which  those  splendid  works  Avoro  crowned.  Tho 
princely  sum  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars 
was  realized,  and  paid  over  to  the  United  States  Sanitary 
Commission,  as  tho  result  of  tho  Great  \Vesteru  Sanitary 
Fair  of  Cincinnati. 

After  tho  excitement  and  labors  of  tho  Fair  were  ended, 
Mrs.  Mcndeiihull  resumed  her  customary  round  of  hospital 
visits.  This  course  of  life  continued  till  tho  war  ended, 


494  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAJR. 

and  the  military  hospitals  of  Cincinnati  were  disorganized. 
While  tho  war  lasted,  during"  four  years,  she  had  not  been 
absent  from  tho  pity,  or  failed  of  hor  customary  hospital 
visits,  for  five  days.  .Among  tho  very  great  number  of 
different  soldiers  whom  she  saw  in  her  visits,  many  inter 
ested  her  very  much  by  tho  pationco  with  which  they  boro 
their  sufferings,  and  by  tho  spirit  of  unquestioning  and  uu- 
boundod  loyalty  which  animated  thoir  breast,  and  inspired 
their  actions. 

One,  in  particular,  who  died  in  tho  hospital,  seemed  to 
her  the  most  profoundly  patriotic  of  all  whoso  death  she 
had  witnessed. 

His  name  was  William  Starr,  a  man  in  humble  life,  and 
a  private  in  ono  of  tho  Ohio  regiments.  tie  was  brought 
in  from  tho  front  very  dangerously  injured  by  the  kick  of 
a  vicious  horse.  Tho  blow  had  fallen  upon  tho  breast,  aud 
ho  had  frequent  and  dangerous  hemorrhages  from  tho  lungs. 
It  did  not  seem  possible  that  ho  could  live  many  hours,  and 
his  sufferings  were  very  acuto.  Mrs.  Mendeiihull,  and 
other  ladies  in  tho  hospital,  paid  him  special  attention,  and 
soon  had  tho  satisfaction  of  seeing  him  much  better,  mid 
able  to  walk  slowly  around  the  room.  Ho  improved 
gradually,  and  left  tho  hospital,  returning  to  service,  so 
that  his  kind  benefactor  lost  sight  of  him  for  thrco  years. 
But  tho  wound  never  fully  healed,  and  his  lungs  at  length 
commenced  to  bleed  worso  than  at  first.  Ho  waa  brought 
to  tho  same  hospital,  and  hearing  tho  naxuo  of  JMrs. 
Mendenhall  mentioned  by  a  lady  who  was  standing  over 
him,  sent  for  her,  at  tho  same  time  speaking  in  tho  warmest 
terms  of  her  former  kindness.  Tho  tears  started  down  his 


MBS.     ELIZABETH    MENDENIIALL.  495 

fine  face,  stamped  with  tho  noblest  traits  of  manhood,  but 
now  fearfully  pallid,  as  ho  grasped  her  hand,  and  prayed 
God  to  reward  her  in  this  lifo  and  tho  next  for  her  kindness 
to  him  and  other  suffering  soldiers.  lie  lived  a  number  of 
days,  and  each  day,  us  long  as  ho  could  lift  his  hands, 
wished  to  see  tho  papers,  that  ho  might  know  how  the 
biittles  wcro  going.  Tho  only  earnest  wish  that  ho  ex 
pressed  was,  that  ho  might  livo  long  enough  to  hear  of  tho 
capture  of  Richmond. 

One  April  morning  tho  glorious  news  was  proclaimed 
through  tho  hospital  wards  that  Richmond  was  evacuated, 
and  Leo,  with  his  army,  in  full  retreat.  "  Now,"  said  the 
dying  soldier,  "  now  I  am  ready  to  go.'*  Ho  had  but  ono  re 
quest  to  mako  —  that,  when  lie  was  stiff  in  death,  he  might 
have  tho  American  flag  laid  over  his  body,  and  then  be 
buried  in  Spring  Grove  Cemetery  on  the  soldiers'  lot.  Just 
before  ho  drew  his  last  painful  breath,  a  little  son  of  Mrs. 
Mendenhall  went  to  bid  him  farewell,  and  carried  in.  his 
hand  a  little  flag,  Avith  which  ho  was  playing. 

As  the  glazing  eye  of  tho  patriot  caught  sight  of  tho 
colors,  he  stretched  out  his  hand,  and  taking  tho  little 
banner  from  the  boy,  waved  it  several  times,  his  eye  mean 
time  lighting  up  with  tho  ardor  of  a  soldier  and  the  flush  of 
victory.  This  was  his  lost  act ;  and  when  his  tall  figure 
\vas  prepared  for  tho  grave,  Mrs.  Mendenhall  wont  with  a 
friend,  and  succeeded  in  finding  u.  very  handsome  silk  flag, 
which  they  laid  over  him  till  his  coffin  received  tho  form  of 
the  dead  soldier. 

Associated  with  Airs.  Mondenhall  in  these  voluntary 
and  uusalaricd  labors  for  the  soldier  were  other  ladies  of 


1 1 


496  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAK. 

Cincinnati,  many  of  whom  were  as  praiseworthy,  though 
less  prominent  than  herself. 

Miss  Elizabeth  Morris,  and  her  married  sister,  Mrs. 
Ellen  Thomas,  commenced  their  hospital,  visits  as  soon  as 
there  was  any  call  for  such  work,  and  gave  themselves 
wholly  to  these  charities,  refusing"  all  oilers  of  pay  from  the 
medical  department,  until,  in  1864,  a  rule  was  passed  exclud 
ing  all  unpaid  nurses.  Under  theso  circumstances,  they  for 
some  months  drew  a  nurse's  pay,  half  of  which  they  gavo 
to  the  hospital  fund,  and  applied  the  other  half  towards 
furnishing  substantial  and  palatable  food  for  the  private 
soldiers'  table.  They  continued  this  Christian  work  and 
charity  till  the  hospitals  were  emptied  and  dismantled  by 
the  culminating  successes  of  tho  spring  and  summer  of 
1865. 

The  wife  of  Colonel  C.  I.  Wright,  of  Cincinnati,  waa 
also  among  tho  first  to  assist  largely  in  tho  hospitals, 
spending  tho  greater  part  of  her  time  in  alleviating  the 
sufferings  and  discomforts  of  the  soldiers. 

Her  labors  wore  not  confined  to  tho  hospitals,  ns  she  was 
very  efficient  and  untiring  in  preparing  and  distributing 
comforts  iu  various  ways  to  tho  soldiers  of  her  husband's 
regiment  in  the  field. 

Mrs.  C.  \V.  Starhuck,  Mrs.  Peter  Gibson,  and  Mrs. 
•Jonas,  all  residing  in  the  city,  gave  much  of  their  time  to 
the  hospitals,  and  were  extremely  liberal  in  furnishing 
large  supplies  of  various  comforts  and  delicacies  for  the 
wounded. 

Mrs.  William  Woods,  Mrs.  Cad  well,  and  Miss  Eckstein 
were  also  frequent  visitors.  Miss  E.  C.  Smith  was  a 


MRS.     ELIZABETH    MENDENHALL.  497 

frequent,  and,  much  of  tho  time,  a  constant  hospital 
visitor  while  tho  war  lasted  ;  and  Mrs.  Kendrick,  a  sister 
of  General  Anderson,  proved  herself  worthy  the  name 
of  that  Christian  patriot  and  soldier,  by  a  devotion  to  tho 
sufferers,  that  was  equal  to  his  fidelity  to  the  flag  in  far- 
famed  Sumter,  where  tho  war  began. 
32 


LOYAL    SOUTHERN    WOMEN. 

IN  many  parts  of  tho  South  tho  sentiment  of  fidelity  to 
the  Union  was  cherished  by  both  sexes  with  fin  much 
•warmth  as  by  any  in  tho  loyal  states  who  volunteered  their 
services  for  hospital  duty,  or  gave  up  their  sons  and  hus 
bands  to  tho  call  of  patriotism. 

Throughout  tho  mountainous  regions  of  Kentucky  nnd 
Tennessee  this  spirit  was  in  the  ascendant  ;  and  \vhcii  tho 
rebel  forces  made  their  numerous  raids  through  the  Cum 
berland  Mountains  for  plunder  in  tho  rich  counties  of 
Middle  and  Northern  Kentucky,  they  were  sure  to  encounter 
tho  most  vigorous  hostility  from  the  scattered  and  perse 
cuted,  but  unterrified,  loy(il  men  and  women,  whose  cabins 
are  nestled  in  the  lonely  coves  and  glens  of  that  wild 
region. 

In  the  fall  of  1862,  when  Bragg  and  Kirby  Smith  made 
their  swift  and  inglorious  retreat  from  Kentucky  through 
Cumberland  Gap,  they  were  sharply  pursued  by  Rousseau. 
One  morning  tho  regiment  in  tho  van,  tho  Twenty-third 
Kentucky,  when  about  twenty-five  miles  cast  of  "Wildcat 
Mountain,  were  greatly  surprised  to  see  a  squad  of  ragged 
Confederates  come  filing  slowly  into  camp  disarmed, 
and  a  woman  walking  behind  them  with  a  musket  in  her 
hands.  There  were  eleven  of  the  Confederates,  and  the 

(iOS) 


SODTITEUN    WOMEK.  499 

woman     handed     them    over    to    tho    colonel    as    pridonora 
of   war. 

Siio  said  they  came  to  her  house  tho  night  previous,  and 
finding  that  her  husband  was  a  volunteer  in  tho  Union 
lines,  proceeded  to  help  themselves  promiscuously  to  every 
thing  they  fancied.  Some  ran  down  tho  chickens,  and  be- 
gan  to  kill  and  eat,  while  others  cut  up  her  carpets  for  horse 
blankets,  and  committed  wanton  depredations  about  tho 
houso.  The  i licensed  \vumaii  remained  quiet,  but  watched 
her  opportunity.  Presently  they  were  all  collected  in  tho 
largest  room,  and  making  merry  over  tho  fire,  having  left 
their  muskets  in  a  stack  near  the  door.  Weary,  and  sus 
pecting  no  mischief  in  a  solitary  woman,  they  relaxed 
their  watch,  whilo  sho  quietly  removed  all  tho  lire-arms 
but  two  loaded  muskets,  which  she  took  in  her  hands, 
and,  standing  by  tho  door,  demanded  a  surrender.  Otio  of 
them,  inoro  nlert  than  tho  rest,  made  a  spring  for  the  mus 
kets,  but  fell  dead  on  the  floor  with  a  ball  through  his  body. 
Sho  told  them  quietly  that  any  further  attempt  to  escape 
would,  bo  met  by  a  .similar  fate.  As  they  had  a  resolute  foo 
to  deal  with,  discretion  now  becamo  tho  better  part  of 
valor  :  they  submitted  to  tho  fortunes  of  war,  and  at  day 
light  she  marched  them  into  tho  Union  camp  as  described. 

NOBLE   ACT  OF  TWO   TENNESSEE  "WOMEN. 

During  tho  samo  autumn,  when  Grant  was  commanding 
in  \Vcst  Tennessee  with  headquarters  at  Jackson,  tho 
twenty-seventh  Iowa  wtia  ordered  to  take  tho  cars  at  Corinth 
and  proceed  to  Jackson.  It  was  night  timo  and  tho  train 
was  crowded,  men  occupying  tho  platforms  and  covering 


500  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAR. 

the  roofs  of  the  cars.  As  he  approached  a  bridge,  the  en 
gineer  saw  two  lanterns  in  the  distance  swung  to  and  fro 
with  tho  greatest  earnestness.  lie  gave  the  signal  of  dan 
ger  ;  the  breaks  were  instantly  applied,  the  train  stopped, 
and  men  sent  forward  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  tho  alarm. 
T\vo  women  were  found  at  tho  bridge,  who  said  tho  coming 
of  the  loaded  train  of  Union  soldiers  was  known  to  a  gang 
of  guerrillas  which  infested  the  neighborhood.  In  tho  early 
part  of  the  night  tho  assassins  had  fired  tho  bridge,  and 
allowed  tho  string-pieces  to  burn,  nearly  off,  when  they 
extinguished  the  fire,  and  left  tho  structure  standing,  but 
so  weak  that  it  would  go  down  as  soon  as  a  train  came  over 
it.  Hearing  of  this  pieco  of  dastard  villaiiy,  tho  women 
had  left  homo  hi  the  dead  of  night,  and  travelled  ou  foot 
several  miles  through  tho  woods,  to  give  an  alarm  and  pre 
vent  tho  fearful  consequences  that  would  otherwise  havo 
ensued. 

Tho  officers  and  men  whose  lives  wore  thus  saved  bogged 
of  these  heroic  women  to  accept  a  purso  of  money,  which 
was  mado  up  on  tho  spot.  This  they  refused  ;  and  all  tho 
return  they  would  permit  was  that  a  amall  squad  of  tho 
soldiers  might  sco  them  safely  homo. 

HEROISM   OF   xiue   MISSES   TAYLOR. 

During  the  same  campaign  a  scene  took  place  at  Dan 
ville,  Kentucky,  which  illustrates  the  lofty  courage  which 
often  inspires  the  soul  of  woman.  This  town  was  much 
divided  iu  allegiance,  many  who  had  long  been  neigh 
bors  and  friends  espousing  opposite  causes.  But  there 
was  no  doubt  as  to  the  sympathies  of  Mrs.  Taylor  and  her 
estimable  family. 


LOYAL,    SOUTHERN    WOMEN".  501 

Broad  niicl  beautiful  floated  the  striped  bunting  over  her 
cottage,  which  proclaimed  that  their  hearts,  and  hopes,  and 
fears  were  all  with  the  Union  cause. 

When  Ivirby  Smith  occupied  Danville,  ho  sent  a  squad  of 
half  a  dozen  men  to  take  down  that  piece  of  bunting  from 
Mrs.  Taylor's  house.  They  were  met  at  the  door  by  Mrs. 
Taylor's  two  daughters,  Maria  and  Mattio,  who  politely, 
but  firmly,  announced  their  intention  to  resist  any  cflbrt  to 
remove  the  national  emblem.  The  valorous  squad  returned, 
and  reported  that  it  would  require  a  full  company  to  remove 
the  flag.  The  force  was  detailed.  A  captain  marched  a 
hundred  men  with  loaded  guns  to  the.  do-.*r,  drew  them  up 
ill  "  battle's  magnificently  stern  array,"  and  made  a  formal 
demand  for  the  colors.  The  young  ladies  now  came  to 
tlio  front  door,  oaeh  armed  with  a  revolver,  and  holding 
the  glorious  banner  between  them.  They  replied  to  tho 
Confederate  captain  that  they  had  vowed  never  to  surrender 
that  flag  to  traitors,  and  declared  their  intention  to  shoot 
tho  first  rebel  that  polluted  it  with  his  touch.  After  hesi 
tating  a  few  moments,  the  ofliccr  withdrew  his  force,  and 
reported  that  in  tho  exercise  of  his  discretion  ho  had  not 
found  it  advisable  to  remove  the  colors  referred  to. 

RUAVfclllV     OF     MlSS     rSdlWAHTZ. 

A  year  later,  in  the  summer  of  18G3,  a  party  of  guer 
rillas  went  ill  tho  night  to  tho  house  of  Mr.  Schwartz, 
twelve  miles  from  Jeilcrson  City,  Missouri,  and,  oil  de 
manding  admittance,  were  refused  by  Miss  Schwartz,  a  girl 
of  fifteen  years.  They  answered  that  they  would  come  in, 
and  commenced  breaking  down  the  door.  Five  or  six 


502  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

men,  who  wero  in  the  house,  now  ran  out  by  the  back 
door,  taking  with  them,  as  they  supposed,  all  the  fire 
arms.  In  their  hasto  a  revolver  was  left,  which  the  heroic 
girl  seized,  and  pointing  it  at  the  head  of  the  leader  of 
the  gang,  said,  "  Conio  on,  if  yon  ivaiit  to  ;  souio  of 
you  shall  fall,  or  I  will  !  "  They  then  said  they  would 
kill  her  if  she  did  not  leave  the  door.  She  answered, 
"The  first  man  of  you  that  takes  a  step  towards  this 
door  dies.  This  is  the  homo  of  my  parents,  my  broth 
ers  and  sisters,  and  I  am  able  to,  and  shall,  defend  it." 
After  a  brief  consultation  the  rutKims  left.  lirigadier- 
Geneval  Brown,  commanding  tho  district,  in  a  general 
order,  after  setting  forth  the  facts  of  this  instance  of  noblo 
courage,  concludes  as  follows  :  — 

"It  is  with  feelings  of  no  common  pride  and  pleasure 
that  the  commanding  general  announces  this  occurrence  to 
the  citizens  and  soldiers  of  his  district.  On  tho  other  hand, 
those  miserable  cowards  who  deserted  this  brave  girl  in  tho 
hour  of  danger,  flying  from  tho  house  and  leaving  her  to 
her  fato,  arc  unworthy  the  IKIUIO  of  men,  deserve  tho  scorn 
of  the  community  in  which  they  live,  and  should  bo 
shunned  by  every  man  who  has  a  spark  of  honor  or 
bravery  within  him." 

Miss  GLOOM'S  ADVENTURE. 

Miss  Cornelia  Oldom,  of  Kentucky,  displayed  courage 
and  address  equally  brilliant,  in  the  recovery  of  her  horso 
from  a  band  of  rebel  marauders. 

Her  father  lives  near  Mount  Sterling,  in  tho  hills  of 
Eastern  Ken^tucky.  The  Confederates  came  to  tho  house 


LOYAJL    SOUTHERN     WOMEN.  503 

iu  his  absence,  and  wero  about  to  tuko  all  his  horses,  in 
cluding  a  large  and  bountiful  animal  belonging  to  tho  young 
lady.  Notwithstanding  her  earnest  remonstrances,  they 
started  of  I*  with  her  horse,  when  sho  sprang  upon  tho  back 
of  another,  which  was  standing  near,  and  galloped  to  town 
as  swiftly  as  possible  to  give  the  alarm.  On  her  way  home 
sho  saw,  on  the  roadside,  a  pair  of  holsters  containing  pis 
tols.  Quickly  dismounting,  she  found  the  weapons  loaded, 
and  taking  them  with  her,  hurried  after  tho  horse  thieves. 
One  of  them  was  riding  her  beautiful  pot.  She  dashed  up 
to  him,  and  ordered  him  to  dismount,  with  a  gmco  and  de 
cision  worthy  of  Di  Vornoii.  Finding  lie  was  dealing  with 
u  resolute  character,  and  seeing  something  in  her  eyo  which 
looked  dangerous,  he  surrendered  her  favorite  atced. 
"\Vhen  sho  had  regained  his  back  and  patted  his  neck,  tho 
noblo  creature  Deemed  to  know  how  much  ho  owed  to  hia 
fearless  mistress. 

Si*miTEi>  CONDUCT  OF  Mies.    PIIELPS. 

John  1«\  Phelps,  u  loyal  Mtssouriaii,  resides  near  'Wil 
son's  Creek,  where  tho  bloody  engagement  took  place 
in  which  General  Lyon  met  his  untimely  but  heroic  death. 
At  tho  time  of  tho  battle  ho  was  away  from  home,  iu  com 
mand  of  a  Union  regiment  of  Missouri  volunteers.  After 
Lyoii's  death  tho  Union  forco  retreated  to  Springfield,  leav 
ing  tho  body  of  their  general  in  tho  hands  of  tho  enemy. 
Mrs.  Phclps  determined  to  rescue  it,  and  see  that  it  had  a 
Christian  burial.  It  was  reported  also  that  some  of  the 
secessionists  had  threatened  to  cut  out  tho  heart  of  tho 
dead  soldier,  and  preserve  it  as  a  trophy. 


504  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

Arming  herself,  she  went  out  on  the  field,  appalling  ns  it 
•was  with  the  dead  still  unburicd,  and  stood  guard  over  tho 
body  of  the  hero  all  uight.  When  ordered  to  give  it  up, 
she  fearlessly  refused  ;  and  when  they  insisted,  she  said  they 
must  sacrifice  her  before  they  could  lay  ruthless  hands  on 
tho  remains  of  that  fallen  brave. 

After  day  light  she  made  the  p  roper  arrangements,  and 
removed  the  corpse  to  her  house,  where  it  was  duly  laid 
out.  To  furnish  him  a  funeral  pall,  she  cut  into  breadths 
and  sowed  together  in  a  proper  form  a  magnificent  black 
velvet  robe,  a  part  of  her  own  apparel. 

Though  perfectly  aware  of  her  unprotected  situation,  tho 
rebels  surrounded  tho  house  in  which  the  lifeless  form  of  a 
gallant  enemy  was  guarded  by  a  solitary  but  heroic  woman, 
and  made  the  night  hideous  by  savage  screams,  horrible 
oaths,  and  barbarous  threats.  In  a  short  time,  however,  they 
retreated,  and  tho  body  of  General  Lyon  was  taken  in  charge 
by  the  loyal  army,  removed  to  Connecticut,  his  native  state, 
and  there  interred  with  tho  fullest  military  honors. 

General  Price  soon  after  returned  to  the  vicinity  of  Wil 
son's  Creek,  and  called  on  Mrs.  Phelps.  He  was  about  to  en 
ter  the  house,  when  she  forbade  his  crossing  her  threshold. 
Ho  remonstrated  with  her,  and  tried  to  cajole  her  by  flat 
teries  and  amusing  talk.  When  ho  again  spoke  of  coming 
in,  she  addressed  him  in  these  words  :  ct  General  Price,  you 
are  a  man,  at  the  head  of  twenty  thousand  troops.  I  am  a 
helpless  woman.  You  are  armed.  I  am  not.  You  havo 
the  physical  power  to  take  possession  of  my  house.  If 
you  ever  enter  here,  it  will  bo  simply  by  reason  of  my 
weakness,  not  by  my  consent.  I  ask  you,  as  a  soldier, 


LOYAL,    SOUTHERN    WOMEX.  505 

whether  you  will  use  violence  in  such  a  case."  Thus  ap 
pealed  to,  Price  did  not  insist,  and  whenever  ho  came  there, 
stood  in  the  yard,  and  conversed  with  the  lady  of  the  house 
through  the  open  door. 

AN  INSTANCE  OF  SELF-SACRIFICE. 

\Vhon  the  lines  of  field-works  were  being  established 
around  the  national  capital,  the  military  engineers  in  charge 
of  their  location  came  upon  a  lovely  spot  near  Dladensburg, 
Maryland.  A  tasteful  cottage  home,  standing  oil  the  verge 
of  a  gentle  slope,  was  surrounded  by  orchard  shade  trees, 
grnpo-viiies,  a  charming  flower  garden,  a  lawn  of  exquisite 
smoothness,  and  "  shrubberies  that  a  Shonstono  might  have 
envied."  This  little  puradiso  was  the  residence  of  a  lady 
and  her  daughters,  whoso  husband  and  father  was  away 
fighting  under  tho  Union  Hag.  The  formation  of  the 
country  was  such  as  to  require  tho  lino  of  earth-works  to 
pass  directly  through  these  beautiful  grounds  and  gardens. 
Tho  position  commands  the  country  around  for  miles,  and  is 
tho  proper  point  for  a  battery.  Yet  tho  officers  saw  at  a 
glance  that  tho  planting  of  guns  on  tho  hill  would  make 
terrible  havoc  of  that  charming  rural  home.  Every  tree  in 
tho  orchard  must  come  down,  the  shrubbery  bo  torn  away, 
a  wide  ditch  cut  through  tho  flower  garden,  and  the  whole 
place,  in  fact,  desolated  and  ruined.  Other  lines  were  run 
in  the  hope  of  avoiding  this  hill  entirely,  but  in  vain.  No 
other  eminence  afforded  such  a  tactical  position,  and  to 
neglect  ifc  might  bo  to  throw  tho  advantage  thus  afforded 
into  the  hands  of  tho  enemy.  It  became  tho  unpleasant 
duty  of  the  officprs  in  charge  of  the  survey  to  call  on  the 


506  ,     WOMEN    OK    THE    WAR. 

lady  and  iiiform  her  of  the  military  necessity  that  demanded 
the  mutilation  of  her  grounds,  and  tho  destruction  of  all 
that  was  loveliest  on  tho  premises.  They  stated  their  con 
clusion  in  as  delicate  a  manner  as  possible,  and  told  her 
how  they  had  hoped  to  avoid  an  occupation  of  her  land. 
She  heard  their  statement  in  silence,  arose,  walked  to  tho 
window,  and  gassed  for  a  few  moments  on  tho  tender  lawn 
and  the  blooming  garden.  Then,  with  tearful  eyes,  she 
turned  to  tho  engineers  and  said,  "  If  it  must  bo  so,  take 
it  freely.  I  had  hoped  to  livo  hero  in  peace  and  quiet,  and 
never  to  leave  this  sweet  spot,  which  niy  husband  has  taken 
so  much  delight  in  making  beautiful.  Cut  if  my  country 
demands  it,  take  it  freely.  You  havo  my  consent." 

When  tho  women  of  Tyro  cut  their  long  hair  and  braided 
it  into  bowstrings  for  tho  archers  on  tho  walls  of  tho  be 
sieged  city,  their  devotion  was  no  greater  than  was  hero 
shown  by  this  patriotic  lady  of  Bladensburg. 

A  LOYAL  Ri»:raioxi>  GULL. 

Tho  following  story  of  "hair-breadth  'scape,"  illustntes 
at  onco  tho  genii ino  loyalty  of  somo  of  tho  citizens  of  tho 
rebel  capital,  and  tho  uncquillcd  fertility  of  woman's  wit 
in  devising  expedients. 

S.  R.  McCullough,  tho  hero  of  the  story,  is  a  "Wisconsin 
soldier,  who  was  captured  at  Chickamauga,  and  brought  as 
prisoner  to  Richmond. 

Being  somewhat  ill,  ho  was  sent  to  a  hospital,  and  had  not 
been  there  long  before  a  young  lady  of  tho  city  mado  him 
a  present  in  the  form  of  a  pretty  bag  filled  with  "  Virginia 
fino  cut.*'  It  occurred  to  young  McCullough  that  possibly 


LOYAL,    SOUTIU3RX    WOMEN".  507 

tho  bag  might  contuiii  something  besides  tobacco  ;  and  suro 
enough,  at  tho  bottom  ho  found  a  slip  of  paper  with  these 
words  :  "Would  you  bo  free?  Then  bo  prepared  to  act. 

Meet    mo    to-morrow    at   ."      Tho    meeting    took   place. 

In  a  few  brief  words  she  told  him  her  plau  for  hia  escape, 
agreed  upon  a  day  for  its  execution,  and  tho  parties  sepa 
rated  without  being  noticed  by  tho  guard.  In  a  few  days 
ho  received  another  noto  conveyed  in  a  similar  manner, 
giving  further  instructions,  and  saying  that  ho  might  bring 
a  comrade  with  him. 

As  the  day  approaches  lie  can  think  of  no  way  of  passing 
tho  guard  but  by  feigning  to  bo  dead.  Tho  details  of  this 
ruse  were  discussed  with  his  fel low-prisoners  ;  and  on. 
tho  eventful  day  four  of  them  laid  him  out  as  a  corpse, 
covered  him  with  a  blanket,  and  carried  him  to  the  dead 
house,  where  ho  lay,  still  as  a  log,  and  nearly  smothered 
with  his  rude  face-cloth,  till  dusk.  At  length  ho  raised 
himself,  maxlo  a  hasty  recoimoissaiico  barefoot,  and  finding 
all  right,  sallied  forth.  Just  at  this  time,  as  had  been  ar 
ranged,  a  sham  fight  was  played  oil*  in  tho  opposite  part  of 
tho  inclosuro,  by  which  tho  attention  of  all  tho  guards  waa 
arrested,  when  his  comrade  slipped  into  a  hut  near  tho  dead 
house,  and  McCullough,  as  had  been  arranged,  when  every 
thing  was  favorable,  threw  a  stone  against  tho  logs.  Ilia 
comrade  came  out ;  tho  two  adventurers  were  together  and 
undiscovered.  They  quickly  scaled  tho  high  board  fence, 
one  standing  011  tho  other's  shoulders,  and  then  drawing  his 
companion  up,  and  let  themselves  down  on  tho  other  side 
in  the  same  manner.  Once  outside  tho  prison,  they  went 
to  tho  place  designated  by  tho  young  lady,  and  found 


5O8  .  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAR. 

her  waiting.  She  told  them  to  follow  her  at  a  distance, 
keeping-  in.  sight  her  white  handkerchief.  Taking  a  cir 
cuitous  route  she  led  them  twenty-five  blocks,  and  waited 
for  them  on  the  steps  of  a  house,  which  proved  to  ho  that 
of  her  father.  Plore  they  wcro  kindly  received  by  him, 
though  he  know  nothing  of  the  plan  of  his  daughter. 
In  a  few  days  he  procured  them  passes  by  paying  for  them 
between  two  and  three  thousand  dollars  in  Confederate 
money.  The  young  lady  provided  them  with  suitable 
clothes  ;  her  father  sent  them  away  in  his  carriage,  and  ho 
and  his  daughter  gave  them  their  blessing  as  they  departed 
for  the  Federal  lines,  which  they  reached,  with  but  little 
difficulty,  oil  the  23d  of  December,  1803,  just  three  months 
after  they  were  made  prisoners. 

THE   Goon   "\VOMAX   AT   ROME. 

A  largo  body  of  Union  soldiers,  that  had  been  coiifiucd 
in  a  distant  southern  prison,  reached  the  town  of  Rome, 
in  Northern  Georgia,  on  their  way  to  Richmond.  AVeary, 
famished,  and  thirsty,  they  were  halted  in  the  middle  of 
the  streets,  under  a  broiling  sun,  and  exposed  to  the  coarse 
jeers  of  the  imbittered  populace. 

Handsomely  dressed  women  came  out  with  haiidfuls  of 
little  cotton  bullets,  which  they  threw  at  the  poor,  helpless 
fellows,  with  such  words  as,  "  So  you  have  come  to  Rome  — 
have  you?  How  do  you  like  your  welcome?"  Hour  after 
hour  of  this  tedious  waiting  and  insult  had  passed,  when  a, 
Union  major,  who  was  leaning  wearily  against  a  post,  was 
lightly  touched  on  the  arm,  and  turned  around  expecting 
some  fresh  opprobrium.  He  saw  a  fine-looking  boy,  about 


LOYAJL    SOUTHERN    WOMEN.  509 

twelve  years  of  ago,  standing  by  his  elbow,  who,  glancing 
at  the  guard,  who  was  then  looking  the  other  way,  pulled 
tho  major's  skirt,  and  asked,  "  Arc  you  from  Now  England  ?  " 
"I  was  born  iii  Massachusetts,"  was  tho  reply.  "So  was 
my  mother,"  returned  tho  boy,  brightening  up.  "  She  was 
a  New  England  girl,  and  she  was  what  you  call  a  school- 
ma'am  ;  she  married  my  father,  and  I'm  their  boy ;  but 
how  she  does  love  Now  England  and  tho  Yankees,  and  the 
old  United  Sfcxtes  !  and  ao  do  I." 

Tho  poor  major  was  touched  at  finding  this  stray  scion 
of  tho  good  old  stock  awny  here  by  "  tho  rivora  of  Baby 
lon."  Thero  was  nothing  ho  could  give  tho  boy  to  strength 
en  his  loyalty  but  one  of  tho  buttons  on  his  frock.  As  ho 
was  cutting  this  from  his  breast,  tho  lad  pulled  a  string  of 
them  from  his  pocket,  and  said,  "  Soo,  I  havo  a  dozen  just 
like  it,  gifts  of  other  boys  in.  blue.  My  mother  would  like 
to  see  you.  I'll  go  and  tell  her." 

"  What  are  you  doing  hero  ?  "  growled  tho  guard,  with  an 
oath,  as  ho  turned  upon  him.  But  tho  littlo  fellow  slipped 
away  through  tho  crowd,  and  presently  returned,  walking 
beside  a  lovely  lady,  who  moved  slowly  along  tho  pavement, 
near  tho  curb-stone,  and  quietly  thrust  bank  notes  into  the 
hands  of  ono  and  another  of  tho  prisoners. 

As  she  approached  tho  major,  tho  bright- faced  boy  gavo 
him  a  look  that  seemed  to  say,  "This  is  my  Massachusetts 
mother,  Sir,  who  has  taught  mo  to  love  Yankees  and  the 
Union."  Tho  glances  interchanged  as  the  lady  throw  her 
eyes  upon  the  war-worn  New  England  soldier  were  hasty, 
for  tho  suspicious  guard  was  near,  but  how  full  of  mutual 
admiration  and  esteem  ! 


510  WOMEN    OF    THE    AVAR. 

MRS.   HETTY  M.   McEwEX. 

Nashville,  Tennessee,  was  the  only  city  in  the  seceding 
states  that  contained  a  largo  number  of  genuine  Unionists 
•who  had  the  courage  to  assert  their  sentiments  openly  and 
in  defiance  of  southern  sympathizers.  This  fearlessness 
was  as  often  manifested  by  women  as  by  men.  The  south- 
cm  character,  frank,  ardent,  and  unciilcnluting,  was  never 
more  aptly  illustrated  than  by  the  high-spirited  defiance  with 
which  thoy  dared  all  danger  and  all  criticism  in  manifesting 
their  fidelity  to  the  Union. 

During  the  spring  and  summer  of  18G1,  while  Isham  G. 
Harris  and  his  co-traitors  were  plotting  dishonor  and  disas 
ter  for  Tennessee,  and  a  majority  in  the  middle  and  western 
districts  sympathized  with  him,  there  were  a  few  in  Xash- 
viile  who  frankly  characterized  his  conduct  in  no  measured 
terms,  and  advertised  their  sentiments  by  keeping  the  na 
tional  colors  alwa3rs  flying  from  their  house-tops. 

Of  these  few,  Airs.  Hetty  M.  McEwcn.  was  perhaps  the 
most  conspicuous,  and  her  conduct  in  the  defence  of  the 
flag  upon  her  house  is  truly  memorable. 

She  ia  an  old  lady,  having  been  born  during  the  Presi 
dency  of  George  AV'ashington.  She  had  six  uncles  at  the 
battle  of  King's  Mountain,  four  of  whom  wet  that  hard- 
fought  field  with  their  life-blood. 

Her  husband,  Colonel  Robert  H.  McEwcii,  fought  under 
Jackson  at  Horseshoe,  and  his  father  was  a  surgeon  in  the 
revolutionary  army.  She  could  remember  the  time  when 
there  was  no  Tennesseean  that  did  not  live  in  a  log  cabin, 


LOYAL    SOLTTIIEItN-    WOMEN.  511 

no  preacher  that  ditl  not  tako  his  rifle  into  tho  pulpit  with 
him  as  regularly  as  his  Bible,  and  was  ns  familiar  with  0110 
as  with  tho  other.  When  secession  was  talked  of,  with  her 
own  fingers  she  stitched  together  tho  folds  of  bunting,  and 
reared  tho  lied,  White,  and  Uluo  on  a  flag-staff 'in  tho  yard 
of  tho  residence  that  had  been  known  as  theirs  almost  from 
tho  time  when  Nashville  was  an  Indian  fort.  .As  treason 
grow  less  and  less  odious,  the  flag  was  subjected  to  various 
insults.  Boys  throw  stones  at  it.  Tho  papers  noticed  it, 
and  advised  its  removal.  Colonel  MeKwcii  received  an 
anonymous  letter  full  of  plantation  venom,  and  threatening 
assassination  unless  tho  odious  colors  were  removed.  "When 
at  length  the  machinations  of  Governor  Harris  culminated, 
and  Tennessee  was  made  to  appear  of  secession  preferences 
by  forty  thousand  majority,  Colonel  MeKxvcn  fastened  a 
pole  into  0110  of  his  chimneys,  and  nailed  the  national  colors 
where  they  could  float  solitary,  yet  dauntless  and  defiant, 
over  tho  rebellion-cursed  city.  Tho  hostility  now  bccamo 
fiercer  than  over.  He  was  told  that  the  flag  must  conio 
down  from  that  roof  if  they  had  to  fire  tho  house  to  bring 
it  down.  ITo  asked  his  wife  what  they  had  better  do  about 
the  flag,  adding  that  ho  would  sustain  her  in  any  Bourse  sho 
thought  best  to  adopt.  "Load  mo  tho  shot-gun,  Colonel 
jMcEwcn,"  said  tho  heroic  old  lady.  And  ho  loaded  it  for 
her  with  sixteen  buckshot  in  each  barrel.  "  ^N"ow,"  added  she, 
t:I  will  tako  tho  responsibility  of  guarding  that  flag.  "Who 
ever  attempts  to  p:iss  my  cloor  on  their  way  to  tho  roof  for 
that  star-spangled  banner,  under  which  my  four  uiic  1  •*  fell 
at  King's  Mountain,  must  go  over  my  dead  body  I  " 


512  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAB. 

Not  long  after,  Governor  Harris  issued  an  order  for  all 
fire-arms  to  be  brought  to  him  at  the  state-house,  and 
enforced  it  by  sending  a  squad  of  soldiers  to  Colonel 
McE wen's  house.  In  reply  to  their  demand  she  said,  M  Go 
tell  your  master,  the  governor,  that  I  will  not  surrender 
my  gun  to  any  one  but  himself,  and,  if  *ho  wants  it,  to  come 
in  person  and  risk  the  consequences." 


ANNA    ETI1ERIDGE. 

WERE  our  government  to  order  a  gold  medal  to  bo 
given  to  tho  woman  who  has  most  distinguished 
herself  l»y  heroic  courage  on  tho  field,  and  by  the  most 
patient  nnd  effective  service  in  the  military  hospitals,  there 
can  bo  little  doiibt  that  tho  united  voices  of  tho  soldiers 
and  of  all  tho  army  nurses  would  assign  tho  honor  to  Anna 
Ethoridgo,  of  Michigan. 

In  tho  great  work  of  charity  and  self-sacritico  performed 
by  tho  women  during  tho  late  conflict,  some  have  displayed 
organizing  and  executive  talent  truly  wonderful.  Others 
have  become  remarkable  for  tho  extent  and  duration  of 

their  labors others  for   the  admirable  and    Christian  spirit 

they  brought  to  tho  hospitals  and  tho  battle-field.  Genuine 
courage  and  hardihood  have  been  displayed  by  females,  but 
not  generally  in  connection  with  those  finer  characteristics 
for  which  woman  is  most  prized. 

But  in  our  "  gentle  Anna "  was  combined  that  true  hero 
ism  which  is  tho  highest  boast  of  manhood,  with  the  modesty, 
tho  quiet  bearing,  the  deferential  manners  and  unobtrusive 
worth  which  arc  tho  loveliest  traits  of  tho  fairer  and  tho 
weaker  sex.  Few  soldiers  were  in  the  war  longer,  or  served 
with  so  slight  intermissions,  or  had  so  little  need  of  rest. 

When  the  first  enlistments  took  place,  in   the  summer  of 

33 


514  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

1861,  Anna  Etheridgo  was  in  Detroit,  on  a  visit  to  friends. 
There  she  enlisted  in  the  Second  Michigan  volunteers,  under 
Colonel    Richardson.      Nineteen    young"    ladies   are   said,   to 
have  offered  to  go  with    tho   regiment   in    the   capacity  of 
nurses  ;    but  in  a  few   months'  service   every  one   but  Anna 
had  returned   homo,  or  lost   her  health,  or  been  discharged. 
She  was  with  tho   regiment   in  the  action   at  Blackburn's 
Ford,   which    was    preliminary    to    tho    first    battlo   of   Bull 
Run,    and    continued   with    it  through   nearly  all    the    great 
Virginia   battles.      Sho  was    furnished    with    a   horse,   aide- 
saddle,  saddle-bags,  £c.,  and  during  a  battlo   would  often 
ride  fearlessly  to  tho  front ;   and  whenever  she  found  a  sol 
dier  too  badly  hurt  to  go  to   tho  rear,  she  would  dismount, 
and,    regardless   of    shot    and    shell,   produce    her    lint    and 
bandages,  bind  up  his  wounds,   give  water  or  stimulating 
drink,  then  gallop  ou  in  search  of  another  sufferer.      Gen 
eral  Berry,  who  for  a  long  time  commanded  tho  brigade  to 
which   her  regiment  was  attached,  and  who  was  remarkable 
for  his  personal  gallantry  in  all  thcso  engagements,  declares 
that  she  has  remained  cool  and  self-possessed  under  as  hot 
a  fire  as  he  ever  saw  or  was  exposed   to  himself.      The  bril 
liant  General  Kearney  at  one  time  commanded  this  brigade, 
and,  iu  consideration,  of  her  dauntless  courago  and  invalua 
ble  services,  commissioned  her  as  a  regimental  sergeant,  and 
presented  her  the  handsome  cross  that  bears   his  noble  and 
heroic  name.     When  not  actively  engaged  on  tho  field  or  in 
hospital,  she  superintended  tho  cooking  at  brigade  headquar 
ters  ;   and  when  the  brigade   moved  she   would  mount  her 
horse  and  march  with  tho  ambulances   and   the    surgeons, 
administering  to  tho  wants  of  the  sick  and  wounded.      At 


ANNA    ETHERIDGE.  515 

tho  nightly  bivouac  sho  wrapped  herself  in  her  blanket,  and 
slept  ou  tho  ground  with  the  hardihood  of  a  truo  soldier. 
Her  exploits  at  Antic  tarn,  Chancellors  villo,  Gettysburg", 
and  in  tho  battles  of  Grant's  closing  campaign,  were  a 
favorite  theme  with  the  soldiers.  On  ono  occasion  a 
wounded  man,  to  whom  sho  was  attending,  was  struck  by  a 
shell  and  torn  in  pieces,  almost  between  her  hands.  Gen 
erally,  during  an  engagement,  aho  would  remain  a  little  in 
tho  rear  with  tho  surgeon  ;  but  often,  when  sho  saw  a  man 
fall  aho  would  dash  forward  into  tho  hottest  of  tho  fire, 
lift  him  on  her  horso,  and  bring  him  safely  to  tho  roar, 
where  ho  could  havo  prompt  attention.  Many  times  sho 
received  balls  through  her  dress,  but  was  never  hit.  Many 
and  many  a  soldier  owes  his  life  to  "  gentle  Anna's  "  intre 
pidity.  More  than  oiico,  when  tho  troops  showed  signs  of 
retreating,  sho  rushed  to  tho  front,  seized  the  colors,  and 
rallied  thom  to  u  charge,  shaming  many  into  doing  their 
duty.  At  tho  battle  of  tho  Wilderness,  when  tho  fighting 
was  at  its  height,  tho  balls  raining  like  hailstones,  theFifth 
Michigan,  and  somo  other  troops  were  surrounded  and 
nearly  cut  off  by  tho  rebels.  As  tho  lino  of  battle  swung 
around,  tho  enemy  took  tho  places  our  men  had  vacated. 
Anna  was  at  that  moment  speaking  to  nil  orderly,  a  moro 
boy,  when  a  bullet  pierced  his  heart,  and  ho  fell  against 
her,  dead.  For  tho  first  and  only  time  during  the  war  our 
heroine  becamo  w  demoralized  ;  "  and  laying  tho  dead  orderly 
on  tho  ground,  sho  ran  towards  what  sho  took  to  bo  tho 
Union  troops.  Too  late  she  discovered  her  mistake,  but 
kept  on,  dashing  through  tho  rebel  lino,  and  though  several 
shots  were  sent  after  her,  made  her  escape  unhurt. 


516  WO  HEX    OF    THE    WAR. 

In  demeanor  "  Michigan  Anna "  is  thoroughly  modest, 
quiet,  and  retiringj,  while  her  habits  and  conduct  are  cor 
rect  and  exemplary.  Though  on  the  battle-field  she  seems 
to  be  possessed  and  animated  by  the  single  desire  of  saving 
the  lives  of  wounded  men,  she  seldom  speaks  of  herself, 
or  refers  to  anything  she  has  done.  "With  strangers  she  is 
very  reticent,  and  has  a  reserve  and  apparent  prido  of 
manner.  With  the  soldiers,  though  sharing  all  their  hard 
ships,  sho  iiovt»r  spoko  fumilinrly,  and  wins,  hold  by  them  hi 
the  highest  veneration  and  esteem,  as  an  angel  of  mercy. 
Wnile  the  contest  was  going  on,  sho  took  the  deepest 
interest  in  the  issue,  eagerly  reading  all  tho  newspapers 
that  sho  could  find  in  ciimp,  and  keeping  well  informed 
as  to  tho  progress  of  the  war. 

^Vhen  general  orders  excluded  her  temporarily  from  tho 
front  lines,  she  engaged  promptly  in  any  hospital  labors 
where  aid  was  needed. 

During  a  part  of  the  Peninsula  campaign  she  was  on  a 
hospital  transport,  and  Miss  Bradley  speaks  in  warm  terms 
of  tho  constant,  thorough,  and  effectual  service  there  per 
formed  by  her.  So,  also,  at  City  Point  she  cooperated 
with  Mrs.  Husband  and  other  ladies,  working  indefutigably, 
and  wiiiuing  the  respect  and  admiration  of  all  under  her 
care. 

No  one  of  the  noble  women  who  have  distinguished 
themselves  during  the  war  can  furnish  so  rich,  varied,  and 
romantic  a  series  of  recollections  as  Anna  Ethcriclgc,  inoro 
of  which  might  have  been  employed  for  the  embellishment 
of  this  brief  sketch,  were  it  not  that  the  heroine  is  prepar 
ing  a  volume  of  her  own,  which  is  likely  to  prove  ouo  of 


ANNA    ETHERHX3E.  51,7 

tho  most  interesting  recitals  connected  with  the  history  of 
tho  times. 

A  ciirecr  so  romantic  has  not  failed  to  stimulate  tho  en 
thusiasm  of  several  of  our  poets  to  celebrate  her  exploits 
in  rhyme. 

'Perhaps  tho  lines  which  follow  are  tho  best  tribute 
which  tho  Muses  have,  as  yet,  made  to  this  admirable 
character  :  — 

TO     MISS     ANNA     ETILER1DGE, 

TUB    HCUOiNt:   OF   nit:    WAR. 

Hail,  heroine  of  the  battle-field ! 

Sweet  angel  of  a  zeal  divine  ! 
Hail,  maiden,  whoso  device  and  shield, 

Sculptured  in  tcura  and  pruyera,  will  ahine, 
On  L>ove'd  eternal  column  reared 

In  memory  of  tho  martyred  dead, 
To  be,  through  coming  time,  revered. 

And  sacred  to  tho  pilgrim's  tread ! 

Hail,  dauntless  moid !    whoso  shadowy  form,  * 

Rome  like  a  sunbeam  on  tho  air, 
Swept  by  amid  tho  battle-storm, 

Cheering  tho  helpless  sufferers  there, 
Amid  the  cannon's  smoko  and  flamo, 

Tho  earthquake  roar  of  shot  and  shell, 
Winning,  by  deeds  of  love,  a  namo 

Immortal  as  tho  bravo  who  fell. 

Hail,  angel !   whoso  diviner  spell 

Charmed  dying  heroes  with  her  prayer, 

Stanching  their  wounds  amid  the  knell 
Of  death,  destruction,  and  despair. 


518  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

Thy  name  by  memory  ahall  be  wreathed 
Round  many  desolate  hearts  in  prayer; 

By  orphan  lips  it  ahull  bo  breathed, 
And  float  in  uonga  upon  the  air. 


And  History's  pages  shall  embalm 

The  heroine's  deeds  in  lines  of  tire  ; 
Her  life  shall  prove  a  hallowed  charm, 

And  every  loyal  heart  inspire. 
Press  on,  press  on !   in  glory  move  ! 

Unfading  laurels  shall  be  thino 
To  gem  Uic  victor-crown  of  Love, 

And  sparkle  in  the  realms  divine  I 


MISS    A.    SHELTON, 

AND    OTIIEU    NURSES    AT    CHATTANOOGA. 

FETW  places  in  tho  country  are  so  rich  in.  the  histor 
ical  associations  of  our  great  war  as  Chattanooga. 
Situated  at  tho  points  where  tho  Tennessee  bursts  through 
tho  barriers  of  tho  Appalachian  range,  romantic  in  its  site, 
and  sublime  in  mountain  scenery,  it  is,  at  the  same  time, 
a  commercial  and  railroad  centre,  and  a  key-point  in  mil 
itary  strategy.  Its  immense  importance  in  tho  defence  of 
southern  territory  is  proved  by  tho  fact  that  it  is  the  only 
point  in  America  that  has  as  yet  boon  tho  theatre  of  two 
protracted  and  bloody  battles,  each  fought  for  no  other 
strategical  object  than  tho  possession  or  occupation  of 
this  town. 

Tho  battles  took  placo  in  the  fall  of  18G3,  and  it  can 
easily  bo  seen  that  during  tho  winter  that  followed,  thoro 
must  have  been  an  untold  aggregate  of  suffering  concen 
trated  there. 

More  than  two  hundred  miles  from  Louisville,  tho  base 
of  supply,  with  railroad  and  wagon  communication  subject 
to  constant  interruption  by  raids  and  surprises,  it  waa 
crowded  with  tho  severely  wounded  of  two  bloody  battles, 
great  numbers  of  whom  died  for  want  of  sufficient  and 
proper  food,  clothing,  and  tho  customary  hospital  supplies. 

Tho  heroic  army-workers  had  douo  something  to   relievo 

(010) 


520  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAK. 

this  suffering  early  in  the  season.  Mrs.  Harris,  whom,  no 
difficulties  ever  appalled,  whom  no  labors,  though  they 
might  prostrate,  seemed  ever  to  exhaust,  had,  with  Miss 
Tyson,  of  Baltimore,  uud  Mrs.  Beck,  of  AVashiiigtoii,  pen 
etrated  to  this  point  when  it  was  at  tho  front,  and  the 
scene  of  actual  hostilities.  But  sickness  followed  tho  ex 
posures  and  hardships  to  which  they  wcro  subject,  and 
they  were  without  facilities  for  accomplishing  much  for  the 
relief  of  tho  suffering.  In  early  spring  tho  subject  was 
taken  up  by  tho  ladies  of  the  Sanitary  Commission  of  tho 
"West,  and  a  number  of  zealous  workers  went  to  Chatta 
nooga,  arriving  there  about  tho  middle  of  April,  1864=. 

Tho  deputation  was  mostly  from  Iowa.  Thero  wero  Miss 
Coggill,  of  Iowa  City,  Miss  Hagan,  of  Muscatine,  and  Miss 
A.  Shclton,  tho  sister  of  Miss  Mary  E.  Shelton,  who  acted 
as  tho  secretary  and  hospital  assistant  of  Mrs.  Wittcnmoyer. 
Four  others,  Mrs.  Conrad  and  her  sister,  and  tho  Misses 
llauford,  went  to  Ivuoxvillo  on  similar  errands  of  mercy. 

Tho  three  who  remained  at  Chattanooga  wore  for  a  few 
days  lodged  at  tho  rooms  of  tho  Christian  Commission ; 
but  about  the  21st  an  ambulance  drove  up  to  the  door 
to  tako  them  to  the  hospital  by  tho  foot  of  Lookout  Moun 
tain,  at  tho  point  where  Chattanooga  Creek  empties  into 
tho  Tennessee.  Their  quarters  they  found  rough  and 
dirty,  and  tho  strict  discipline  of  tho  camp  appeared  se- 
vero  and  arbitrary.  But  tlieso  discomforts  and  annoy 
ances  wero  soon  lost  sight  of  in  tho  absorbing  and  tragical 
scenes  of  the  hospital  wards. 

One  of  tho  first  patients  that  Miss  Hagan  attended  was 
raving  with  the  delirium  of  fever.  "  Send  across  tho  field 
for  my  wife  ;  just  across  tho  field  there.  She'll  come  as  soon 


MJ83    A.     BHELTON.  521 

as  you  tell  her ;  she  has  no  idea  how  sick  I  am."  When  she 
laid  her  cool  hand  on  the  hot  forehead,  and  stroked  hack 
tho  crisp,  brow ii  hair,  tho  poor  follow  thought  "  she  "  had 
come,  and  mud,  in  a  tone  of  satisfaction  that  was  inexpres 
sibly  touching,  w  There,  I  thought  you  would  come  ;  I  knew 
you  would,  us  soon  as  you  knew  how  much  I  needed  you." 

As  soon  us  arrangement;*  were  completed,  theso  ladies 
had  in  charge  tho  special  diet  kitchen,  where  they  pre 
pared  food  for  about  two  hundred  patients.  At  first,  these 
duties  were  found  very  exhausting;  but  they  wore  steadily 
persevered  in,  and  contributed  greatly  to  tho  comfort  and 
tho  rapid  convalescence  of  tho  patients. 

Their  time  was  wholly  engrossed  with  these  labors  of 
philanthropy  and  patriotism ;  yet  tho  Chattanooga  life, 
stern  and  exacting  as  it  was,  had  its  hours  of  romantic 
interest.  Abovo  tho  hospital  whcro  they  labored  towered 
tho  famous  historic  mountain  peak,  where  the  storming 
columns  of  tho  victorious  Union  troops  had  crowded  up 
the  rocky  slope  till  tho  final  volleys  and  tho  ringing 
cheers  of  triumph  were  far  abovo  the  clouds.  Near  them 
rolled  tho  blue  waters  of  tho  Tennessee,  whoso  banks  had 
for  three  years  been  echoing  to  tho  fierce  thunders  of  tho 
fratricidal  strife  ;  while,  from  time  to  time,  long  columns 
of  troops,  with  immense  army  trains,  would  file  past  tho 
hospital,  moving  oil  southward  at  the  command  of  tho 
groat  Marching  General,  to  earn,  imperishable  renown  in 
a  series  of  bloody  battles  culminating  in  the  most  won 
derful  success  in  all  history.  The  scenery,  also,  particu 
larly  at  iii^ht,  often  realized  all  they  had  conceived  of 
as  tho  -wild  and  romantic  scenery  of  war.  A  corps  or  a 


522  WOMEN    OF    TILE    WAR. 

division,  would  encamp  on  Chattanooga  or  Chickamauga 
Crock,  and  their  camp  fires  extend  up  tho  slopes  of  tha 
grand  old  mountain,  till  it  seemed  all  ablaze  with  tho  lurid 
glories  of  war. 

In  May  began  active  operations  against  the  enemy; 
and  tho  hospital  was  soon  filled  with  wounded  men.  from 
tho  action  at  Dulton,  Tunnel  Hill,  and  numerous  other 
points  on  tho  line  of  march  through  Northern  Georgia. 

Soon  it  became  necessary  to  establish  other  special  diet 
kitchens.  On  tho  26th  of  May,  Miss  Ilagan  and  Miss 
Shelton  went  to  Hospital  No.  1  ;  and  though  there  was 
everything  to  be  done,  and  nothing  to  do  with,  by  dint 
of  perseverance,  hard  work,  and  Miss  Hagan's  uncommon 
executive  ability,  order  soon  came  out  of  confusion,  and 
an  abundance  of  suitable  and  well-cooked  food  was  sup 
plied  to  all  the  wards  in  the  hospital. 

This  was  not  abated  during  the  month  of  June,  after 
which  Chattanooga  was  of  less  importance  as  a  hospital 
centre.  Then  Miss  Shelton  went  to  Nashville,  and  co 
operated  with  her  sister  in  labors  for  the  patients  in 
Hospital  No.  1  and  Hospital  No.  14.  An  account  of 
these  labors,  and  some  very  touching  and  tragical  inci 
dents  that  occurred  there,  will  be  found  in  the  narrative 
and  hospital  sketches  of  Miss  Mary  E.  Shelton. 

These  sisters  continued  their  labors  at  Nashville,  and 
afterwards  at  ^Wilmington,  for  months  after  the  war  ended, 
endeavoring  to  restore  again  to  useful  activity  and  cheer 
fulness  tho  patriots  who,  during  the  last  year  of  tho 
terrible  warfare,  had  made  such  vast  sacrifices  of  their 
own  health  and  life,  to  give  vigor,  unity,  and  permanence 
to  the  life  of  the  nation. 


/~y 

/ 


f  -S 


sud- 


MISS  GEORGIANA   WILLETS. 

TIEIS  accomplished,  and  lovely  young  woman  was  one 
of  that  largo  number  who  for  many  months  were  kept 
back  from  serving  their  country  in.  the  military  hospitals 
and  on  the  battle-field  by  a  misconception  of  the  duties  that 
nurses  had  to  perform. 

As  soon,  however,  as  it  was  apparent  to  her  and  her 
friends  that  very  effective  and  important  services  could  bo 
rendered  without  the  compromise  of  either  delicacy  or 
dignity,  she  entered  heart  and  soul  into  the  work. 

Leaving  her  home  at  Jersey  City  in  the  spring  of  1864, 
eho  repaired  to  \\Taahington,  holding  herself  iii  readiness  to 
respond  to  any  call  that  might  bo  made  for  hospital  labor. 
Early  in  May,  Grant  moved  his  powerful  army  across  the 
Rapidan,  and  struck  the  first  of  those  giant  blows  under 
which  the  Confederacy  at  length  reeled  to  its  downfall. 

With  this  campaign  was  inaugurated  in  Virginia  his 
peculiar  mode  of  warfare,  which  consists  in  following  up 
one  battle  with  another,  and  this  by  a  forced  march,  giving 
the  exhausted  enemy  110  time  to  collect,  reorganize,  or 
recuperate.  Such  fighting  naturally  created  great  suffering, 
and  imposed  heavy  losses  upon  the  forces  of  the  North. 

Into  tho  midst  of  these  unequalled  and  appalling  scenes 
of  bloodshed  and  hardship  Miss  Willets  found  herself  sud- 

(523) 


! 
524  WOMEX    OF    TICS 

deuly  plunged,  when,  on  the  13th  of  May,  sho  wont  to  tho 
accuo  of  active  operations,  and  entered  tho  old  war-battered 
city  of  Fredericksburg. 

It  was  0110  enormous  hospital  ;  or  rather  it  w.is  a  city  of 
wounded  and  exhausted  men,  who  had  been,  rapidly  col 
lected  iVoui  tho  rear  of  battles  that  had  lasted  with  little  or 
no  intermission  for  seven  daj-s.  But  at  no  tiaie  throughout 
tho  war  was  there  such  a  lack  of  adequate  hospital  ap 
pliances  as  at  Fredericksburg  after  tho  buttles  of  tho 
Wilderness. 

Immediately  on  her  arrival,  Miss  \V~ilIets  reported  to 
Dr.  Daltoii,  tho  Medical  Director,  and  was  assigned  to 
duty  in  tho  Catholic  Church,  known  as  n  ward  of  tho  First 
Division,  Second  Corps  Hospital.  Hero  sho  found  a 
hundred  and  fifty  wounded  men,  with  literally  nothing  to 
make  their  condition  comfortable,  or  even  tolerable.  Sup 
plies  could  bo  had  only  by  way  of  Belle  Plain,  a  distance 
of  twenty  miles,  over  a  road  that,  by  a  constant  passage 
of  army  trains  and  frequent  storms,  had  become  one  long 
quagmire,  through  Which  a  horse  could  hardly  drag  a 
hundred  pounds.  All  tho  available  force,  and  most  of  the 
trains,  had  moved  on  towards  Richmond,  leaving  this  city 
of  sufferers  to  bo  relieved  as  best  they  might.  Thcro  were 
no  beds  in  the  ward  where  Miss  \Villets  was  engaged  except 
such  as  were  mado  by  stitching  two  blankets  together,  and 
stuffing  tho  sack  thus  mado  with  straw  that  had  been  used 
for  packing ;  no  pillows  for  tho  dying,  except  such  as  were 
rudely  formed  by  cutting  off  the  sleeve  of  some  poor 
soldier's  shirt,  and  filling  it  with  hay.  Canteens,  boots, 
and  even  bricks,  were  the  uncouth  bolsters  for  patients 


MISS   GEOUaiAXA    WILLETS.  525 

•whose  condition  required  tho  most  careful  attention.  The 
only  dishes  were  a  rough  and  blackened  tin  cup  for  not  one 
man  in  three  ;  the  only  place  for  cooking,  ail  open  camp  fire. 

Thus  rude  was  her  introduction  to  army  life.  But  tho 
iioblo  girl  was  neither  repulsed  iior  discouraged.  "Why 
should  a  well  poraou  repine  at  aio'thing-,  when  men  by  tho 
thousand  lay  Buffering  and  dying  around  her,  their  battlo 
uniform  yet  stiff  with  gore,  bolstering  their  weary  and  ach 
ing-  heads  on  brickbats,  yet  never  breathing1  a  word  of  com 
plaint?  Hero  for  two  weeks  she  worked  assiduously,  using 
all  a  woman's  wit  and  ingenuity  to  extemporize  something 
having  a  semblance  of  comfort  for  her  hundred  and  fifty 
patients.  Tho  transportation  from  Belle  IMain  had  greatly 
improved,  supplies  were,  arriving  every  hour,  and  the  pros 
pect  of  seeing  tho  wounded  in  a  condition  less  pitiable  was 
quite  inspiring,  when  all  their  ameliorating  plans  were  cut 
short  by  tho  progress  of  events  and  a  military  order. 

Grant  had  advanced  so  far  as  to  make  his  land  communi 
cation  with  Washington  too  long  a  lino  to  be  held.  Ho  had 
established  a  new  base  on  tho  York  and  James  Rivers  ;  tho 
theatre  of  operations  was  now  tho  close  vicinity  of  Peters 
burg  and  Richmond,  and  ITredcricksburg  must  be  evac 
uated. 

Hero  was  a  frceh  breadth  of  canvas  in  the  ever-shifting 
panoramas  of  a  great  Avar.  Eight  hundred  patients  wcro  to 
bo  transferred  immediately  from  their  rude  rcsting-plucca, 
and  from  cots,  to  tho  transports  that  lay  by  tho  river  bank. 
Slowly  and  painfully  tho  poor  fellows  were  lifted  upon 
stretchers,  almost  every  movement  giving  exquisite  torture, 
carried  by  two  soldiers  down  the  steep  bank,  and  laid  side 


526  WOMEN    OF   THE    WAR. 

i 

by  side  along  the  decks  of  the  vessels.  Night  fell  moonless 
and  stormy  while  the  work  was  in  progress ;  but  tho 
demands  of  war  recognized  no  distinction  between  storm 
and  sunshine ;  they  made  no  allowance  for  darkness  and 
midnight ;  the  embarkation  must  go  on.  If  the  ladies  had 
not  the  strength  to  lift  wounded  men  and  carry  stretchers, 
they  could  at  least  hold  tho  lights.  Accordingly  Miss  Wil- 
lets  and  her  two  associates,  Miss  Hancock  and  Mrs.  Lee, 
took  their  positions  along  tho  path  that  led  from  tho  gang 
way  to  the  hospitals,  and  stood  hour  after  hour  in  tho  rain 
and  deep  gloom  of  midnight,  as  tho  grim  procession  of  tho 
wounded  filed  slowly  past  them. 

All  through  tho  long,  wet  night,  these  true-hearted  ladies 
continued  at  their  self-assigned  posts  of  duty,  until,  as 
morning  dawned,  they  found  themselves,  with  their  ship 
loads  of  suffering  men,  moving  slowly  down  tho  Rappahnn- 
iiock.  When  opposite  Port  Royal,  an  officer  came  aboard 
with  tho  information  that  a  thousand  of  tho  wounded  in  the 
last  battle  were  lying  on  the  ground,  and  in  wagons,  just  as 
they  had  been  brdtight  from  tho  field.  lie  asked  who 
would  volunteer  to  go  and  do  something  for  them.  Miss 
Willcts  had  come  out  from  "Washington  in  company  with 
Mrs.  Swisshelm  ;  but  in  tho  darkness  and  confusion  at  tho 
embarkation  they  wero  separated,  and  she  was  now  quite 
alone.  She  not  only  had  no  acquaintance  at  Port  JRoyal, 
but  the  town  had  very  recently  been  evacuated  by  tho 
rebels,  and  there  was  no  certainty  that  she  might  not  bo 
subject  tc  insult  by  going  so  wholly  unprotected  into  a 
place  full  of  southern  sympathizers.  But  considerations  of 
thia  kind  could  not  deter  our  heroine  from  tho  lino  of  use- 


MISS    OEOBQIANA    WTLLETS.  527 

fulness.  Hero  wero  a  thousand  suffering  soldiers,  to  whom 
LL  little  attention  might  bo  of  inestimable  importance,  and 
sho  went  to  work  among  them  without  hesitation.  She 
found  one  of  her  own  sex  engaged  in  similar  labors,  Mrs. 
Spencer,  state  agent  for  New  York,  who  hailed  her  with  a 
genuine  welcome.  For  four  days  sho  remained  hero,  doing 
whatever  sho  could  as  best  sho  could.  They  wore  days  of 
toil  and  discomfort  so  great  as  almost  to  reach  suffering, 
when  another  shift  in  the  grand  kaleidoscope  changed  all 
plan  and  arrangements.  White  House  was  now  the  base, 
and  thither  Miss  Willets  went  on  the  supply  steamer 
Planter.  Working  hero  for  two  weeks,  the  next  advance 
was  to  City  Point,  whore  sho  was  permanently  connected 
with  the  Hospital  of  the  Second  Division  of  the  Second 
Corps.  The  wounded  in  the  engagements  of  the  IGth,  17th, 
and  18th  Juno  wore  brought  in  just  as  sho  commenced  her 
labors  ;  and  for  some  time  she  had  charge  of  cloven  wards, 
and  also  of  a  low-diet  kitchen,  where  food  for  the  most 
dangerous  cases  was  prepared.  The  arduous  labors  in  which 
sho  was  engaged  through  the  summer  were  varied,  not 
relieved,  by  a  trip  to  Washington,  on  a  hospital  transport, 
in  July.  Two  hundred  and  fifty  men,  wounded  in  tho 
assault  of  tho  rebel  lines  before  Petersburg,  were  on  board, 
just  as  they  wcro  removed  from  that  disastrous  field. 

One  lady,  Mrs.  Price,  was  with  Miss  Willets  to  assist ; 
but  for  all  that  number  of  patients  they  had  but  two  bosina 
with  which  to  wash  and  dress  wounds,  almost  no  supplies, 
one  small  stove  in  charge  of  a  testy  and  slatternly  old 
nogress  down  in  tho  hold.  With  such  desires  as  sho  had  to 
do  something  for  the  poor  men,  and  such  inadequate  means. 


528  WOMEN    OF   THE    WAR. 

to  operate  with,  well  may  she  describe  that  trip  from  Jumea 
River  to  Washington  as  "thirty-six  hours  of  torture." 

Excepting  a  short  interval  in  September,  when  over- 
exertion  had  produced  sickness,  Miss  Willets  remained  at 
the  hospital  of  the  Second  Division,  Second  Corps,  till  Into 
in  the  fall  of  1864,  when,  the  number  of  patients  having 
greatly  diminished,  she  went  homo  for  a  short  interval  of 
rest,  intending  to  return  at  the  opening  of  the  spring  cam 
paign.  How  soon  that  campaign  closed,  and  with  it  the 
whole  war,  all  the  world  knows. 

Though  some  labored  for  a  longer  period  than  Miss  Wil 
lets,  few,  from  any  part  of  the  country,  brought  to  tho 
service  more  pleasing  manners,  more  graceful  accomplish 
ments,  or  a  kinder  heart.  She  was  one  of  those  whose 
presence  by  their  cots  the  soldiers  gratefully  recognized  by 
calling  them  "sunbeams."  Tho  wounded  who  were  so 
fortunate  as  to  bo  under  her  care,  as  well  as  Mrs.  Husband, 
and  others  who  cooperated  with  her,  conspire  hi  their 
praises  of  her  winning  gentleness,  tho  loveliness  of  her 
person,  and  the  sweetness  of  her  character. 


WOMEN   AS   SOLDIERS. 

"•"^VURINQ  all  periods  of  the  war,  instances  occurred  of 
_•  J  women  being  found  in  the  ranks,  fighting  as  common 
soldiers,  their  sex  remaining  unsuspected,  and  the  particular 
motive  iu  each  case  often  unknown. 

Some  went  to  avoid  separation  from  those  who  were 
dearer  to  them  than  ease,  or  life  itself;  others,  from  a  pure 
love  of  romance  and  adventure  ;  and  others,  from  a  mental 
hallucination,  that  victory  and  deliverance  would  come  to 
tho  war-burdened  laud  only  by  the  sacrifice  of  their  lives. 
As  an  instance  of  the  latter  kind,  we  cite  the  story  of  the 
young  lady  of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  who  was  killed  at  the 
battle  of  Ohickamauga. 

Iii  tho  early  part  of  the  year  18G3,  when  tho  national 
fortunes  were  darkest,  aud  victory  perched  continually  on 
tho  standards  of  rebellion,  this  young  lady,  then  fresh  from 
school,  and  scarce  nineteen  years  of  age,  conceived  tho  idea 
that  Providence  had  dcstinod  her,  as  an  American  Joan  of 
Arc,  to  marshal  our  discouraged  forces,  rally  them  to  now 
efforts,  and  inspire  thorn  with  a  fresh  and  glowing  en 
thusiasm. 

Probably  she    had    lingered    too    fondly  over   that   most 

.thrilling  chapter  of  French  history,  whore,  as  by  ft  miracle, 

the  obscure  shepherdess  leaps  to  the  van  of  tho  demoralized 

34 


530  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAB. 

but  fiery  Gallic  army,  and  towers  at  once  into  the  rarest 
heroism  with  tho  courage  of  an  Amazon,  the  bearing  of  a 
queen,  and  tho  purity  of  a  saint. 

Her  parents  at  first  treated  this  fancy  of  hers  as  a  harm 
less  day-dream,  produced  by  excessive  study,  and  by  hoar- 
ing  of  tho  constant  reverses  of  the  Union  arms.  At  length 
more  active  means  were  employed  to  disabuse  her  mind  of 
an  impression  so  idle,  and  to  dissuade  her  from  a  plan  of 
action  so  utterly  impracticable  ;  but  in.  vain. 

An  eminent  physician  was  consulted,  her  pastor  called 
to  converse  with  her,  and  her  former  associates  at  school 
brought  to  her,  that  by  their  united  influence  she  might  aeo 
the  folly  of  her  dream ;  but  none  of  their  representations 
could  diasuado  her  from  a  determination  that  was  every  day 
becoming  more  fixed.  Finally,  in  a  family  meeting,  it  was 
held  tho  most  judicious  course  to  take  her  to  Michigan  ;  and 
a  maiden  aunt  became  tho  companion,  and  custodian  of  tho 
enthusiastic  girl.  Bufc  sho  was  not  improved  by  tho  change, 
for  only  tho  positive  command  of  her  aunt  prevented  her 
from  going  to  Washington  to  seek  an  interview  with  tho 
good  president,  and  ask  tho  command  of  tho  national  forces. 
.^.t  length  it  was  found  necessary  to  deprive  her  to  somo 
extent  of  her  liberty  ;  but  this  made  her  quite  unmanageable, 
and  she  determined  to  enlist  at  .all  hazards. 

Escaping  from  her  aunt,  sho  disguised  herself  as  a  boy, 
and  joined  the  drum  corps  of  a  Michigan  regiment. 

All  efforts  to  trace  her  were  unavailing ;  and  after  somo 
weeks  of  search,  she  was  mourned  by  her  parents  as  dead, 
and  was  believed  to  have  committed  suicide. 

The  regiment  to  which  sho  was  attached  being  ordered 


WOMEN    AS    SOLDIERS.  531 

to  reenforce  General  Rosecrans,  she  wont  with  it  to  Tennes 
see,  and  marched  under  that  accomplished  strategist  in  all 
those  skilful  movements  by  which  the  rebel  general  Bragg 
was  forced  across  the  Cumberland  Mountains  and  beyond 
the  Tennessee  River,  at  tho  sacrifice  of  hardly  a  man  in  the 
Union  lines.  Then  followed  the  hard  struggle  for  Chat 
tanooga.  Her  regiment  was  in  Van  Clove's  division,  and  in 
tho  sharp  but  indecisive  engagements  of  Saturday  she  was 
unhurt.  But  on  tho  disastrous  day  which  followed,  as  tho 
fair  young  soldier  was  standing  unterrified  under  a  deadly 
fire,  a  niinie  ball  pierced  her  side,  and  she  fell.  On  being 
carried  to  tho  surgeon's  tent,  an  examination  of  her  wound 
revealed  her  sex.  Tho  surgeon  told  her  that  she  could  not 
live,  and  advised  her  to  disclose  her  real  name.  This  she 
was  unwilling  to  do.  But  tho  colonel  of  the  regiment, 
though  suffering  from  a  painful  \vound,  at  length  prevailed, 
upon  hor  to  inform  her  family  of  her  situation  ;  and  just  be- 
foro  sho  died  sho  dictated  tho  following  telegraphic  despatch 

which  was  sent  to  hor  father  :  "  Mr.  ,  No.  —  Wil- 

loughby  Street,  Brooklyn.  Forgive  your  dying  daughter. 
I  have  but  a  few  moments  to  live.  My  native  soil  drinks 
my  blood.  I  expected  to  deliver  my  country,  but  tho  Fates 
would  not  have  it  so.  I  am  content  to  die.  Pray,  pa,  for 
give  me.  Toil  ma  to  kiss  my  daguorrol.ypo.  EMII/IT. 

"  P.  S.     Givo  my  old  watch  to  little  Eiph." 

The  gentle  enthusiast  was  buried  undoi*  tho  shadow  of  the 
cloud -capped  mountain,  which  a  few  weeks  after  echoed 
from  base  to  summit  with  the  victorious  cheers  of  our  tri 
umphant  host,  and  the  broad  blue  Tennessee  murmurs  for 


532  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAS. 

her  a  requiem  soft  and  sad.      Grave  more  glorious  or  more 
fitting  she  could  not  have  chosen. 

Equally  romantic,  and  more  sad  if  possible,  is  the  story 
of  the  Wisconsin  girl,  who,  with  a  devotion  of  which  only 
woman  is  capable,  followed  her  soldier-lover  through  four 
3'ears  of  active  service,  and  at  last  closed  his  eyes  in  death 
in  a  Washington  hospital  a  few  days  after  Lee's  surrender. 

Her  name  is  Ellen  Goodridge,  and  the  bravo  boy  she 
loved  so  truly  was  James  Hendrick.  Ho  volunteered  for 
three  months  when  the  war  broke  out  in  1861,  and  was  at 
the  first  battle  of  Bull  Run.  Receiving  a  lieutenant's  com 
mission,  he  enlisted  for  three  years,  and  wrote  to  that  effect 
to  his  parents,  and  also  to  Ellen.  When  she  told  her  parents 
that  she  had  made  up  her  mind  to  go  with  her  lover  and 
share  the  fortunes  of  war  by  his  side,  they  were  so  incensed 
at  what  they  considered  her  folly,  that  they  turned  her  from 
their  doors,  and  bade  her  never  return.  Going  to  Wash 
ington,  she  found  young  Hendrick's  regiment,  and  obtained 
permission  to  remain  at  the  colonel's  headquarters  and  look 
after  the  cooking. 

They  were  in  every  great  battle  that  was  fought  iu 
Virginia,  and  in  the  intervals  she  often  went  with  him  in 
skirmishes  and  raids,  on  one  such  occasion  receiving  a 
painful  wound  in  her  arm  from  a  minie  ball.  His  health 
remained  good  till  after  the  fall  of  Richmond.  Then  ho 
became  very  sick,  and  was  taken  to  Washington,  where  sho 
watched  over  his  couch,  bathed  his  hot  forehead,  read  to 
him,  wrote  for  him,  and  showed  the  most  painful  anxiety 
for  his  recovery ;  but  all  in  vain.  A  day  or  two  before  ho 


WOMEN    AS    SOLDlERa.  533 

died,,  their  marriage  was  solemnized  by  au  Episcopal  clergy 
man.  Tho  occasiou  was  inexpressibly  sad,  he  writhing  in 
the  grasp  of  a  fatal  disease,  having  survived  all  the  great 
battles  of  the  war  only  to  die,  and  leave  the  noble  girl,  who 
had  been  so  truo  to  him,  broken-hearted  and  a  widow,  and 
she  almost  wild  with  the  terrible  thought  that,  after  giving 
up  so  much,  and  suffering  so  much,  to  bo  near  him,  death 
would  leave  her  only  his  name  and  a  bleeding  heart. 

Tho  hardihood  of  "  Irish  Biddy  "  was  probably  not  sur 
passed  by  any  camp-follower  during  the  war. 

She  sometimes  wont  out  with  the  men  on  picket,  and 
remained  all  night  on  watch.  At  times,  when  sickness  or 
hard  service  had  thinned  the  ranks  of  the  regiment,  she 
would  take  tho  place  of  a  soldier,  and  go  out  011  a  scouting 
or  a  raiding  expedition,  doing  tho  full  duty  of  a  soldier. 

At  other  times  tho  part  she  acted  was  moro  fearless  and 
sublime,  taking  then  the  place  of  an  officer,  and  acting  the 
commander  rather  than  tho  companion. 

One  occasion  of  tho  latter  class  shows  that  "Irish  Biddy" 
possessed  tho  courage,  if  not  tho  graco  and  poetry,  of  Joan 
of  Arc. 

The  brigade  was  in  Virginia,  near  Dinwiddio  Court 
Iloubo,  engaged  in  a  scries  of  skirmishes  and  actions  with 
tho  enemy,  tho  general  object  of  which  was  to  complete 
tho  investment  and  isolation  of  Richmond. 

One  of  tho  captains  iu.  the  regiment  to  which  she  was 
attached  had  fallen  in  a  skirmish  with  a  party  of  Confederate 
cavalry.  Tho  regiment  was  repulsed  at  tho  cud  of  tho  ac 
tion,  and  tho  body  of  the  fallen  officer  left  in  tho  lines  of 


534  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

the  enemy.  Bridget  was  near  by  during  the  fight,  and 
knew  that  his  body  waa  abandoned  by  the  men  in  their 
retreat. 

She  rode  boldly  in,  and  was  not  challenged  or  disturbed 
by  the  enemy,  who  may  not  have  seen  her,  or  who  respected 
ner  sex  and  the  sacred  character  of  her  errand  too  much  to 
fire  upon  or  capture  the  heroine'.  The  lifeless  body  of  tho 
captain  she  lifted  and  laid  over  her  horse,  and  with  this 
double,  and  to  most  persons  fearful,  load,  she  rode  alone 
for  twelve  miles  before  she  found  tho  majority  of  the  regi 
ment,  and  could  deliver  the  corpse  to  those  who  would  give 
it  Christian  burial. 

During  this  ride  of  twelve  miles  she  came  upon  a  small 
wagon  train,  and  rode  along  with  it  for  some  distance. 

When  some  hostile  demonstration  was  made,  the  teamsters, 
who  were  few  in  number  and  poorly  armed,  wore-  on  tho 
poiut  of  making  a  sudden  and  what  would  have  been  a  dis 
honorable  escape  and  abandonment  of  their  train  to  the 
enemy,  whon  Bridget  rode  timong  them,  rallied  them,  told 
them  there  was  no.  real  danger,  and,  in  language  less  polite 
than  forcible,  called  upon  them  "for  God's  sako  not  to  run 
off  and  loavo  their  wagons  before  tho  rebs  were  within  a 
mile  of  tho  nearest  of  them." 

Her  efforts  were  successful,  and  the  men  were  actually 
recalled  to  a  sense  of  soldierly  duty  by  a  woman  who  was 
then  in  the  act  of  rescuing  the  dead  body  of  an  officer  who 
had  fallen  in  a  skirmish,  and  had  been  abandoned  by  his 
men,  who  sought  safety  in  retreat. 

The  battle  of  Fair  Oaks  commenced  by  a  vigorous 
charge  of  an  overwhelming  rebel  force  upon  a  single  divis- 


WOMEN    AS    SOLDIERS.  535 

iou  of  AlcClollan's  army,  \vhich  had  advanced  across  tho 
Chickuhominy.  As  Casey's  division,  thus  attacked,  gave 
way,  there-  was  danger  that  the  panic  might  spread  and  in 
fect  the  troops  that  were  hastening  to  the  support.  Among 
these  was  the  Seventh  Massachusetts,  that,  having  advanced 
to  within  range  of  the  rebel  artillery,  had  just  received  tho 
order,  "Forward,"  that  would  in  a  few  moments  plunge 
them,  into  the  heat  of  tho  contest.  They  obeyed  tho  com 
mand  but  slowly,  for  tho  enemy's  fire  was  growing  every 
moment  more  terrific.  Just  then  "Irish  Biddy  "  came  along, 
supporting  her  husband,  who  had  a  ball  through  his  leg. 
Swinging  her  soldier's  cap  over  her  head,  she  shouted, 
"Arrah!  go  in,  boys,  and  bate  tho  bloody  spalpeens,  and 
revingo  mo  husband,  and  God  bo  wid  ye." 

Tho  effect  was  instantaneous  and  decisive.  Tho  regiment 
gave-  three  cheers  for  "  Irish  Biddy,"  and  three  for  the  Sev 
enth.  Then  joining  tho  Tenth  Massachusetts,  and  other 
troops,  they  made  a  gallant  and  successful  charge  on  the 
enemy's  centre. 

Browned  by  exposure,  and  with  sensibilities  somewhat 
hardened  by  years  of  constant  service  in  camp,  a  character 
like  that  of  "Irish  Biddy"may  fail  to  interest  us  for  its  femi 
nine  characteristics,  but  it  must,  nevertheless,  command  our 
admiration  for  its  strength,  its  fortitude,  its  dauntless  cour 
age,  and  the  genuine  and  inextinguishable  kindness  of  heart 
which  led  her  ever  to  place  tho  good  and  tho  comfort  of  the 
men  above  all  demands  of  safety,  and  all  considerations  of 
personal  ease. 


NELLY  M.  CHASE. 

A  SOLDIER,  who,  though  fearfully  wounded,  has  sur 
vived  that  disastrous  attempt  to  storm  the-  enemy's 
intrenched  lines  at  Fredericksburg  in  December,  18G2, 
gives  an  admirable  account  of  his  sensations  when  marching 
"  into  the  jaws  of  death,"  his  sufferings  on  tho  field,  and  tho 
touching  kindness  with  which  he  was  cared  for  and  his  lifo 
saved  by  ouo  of  thoso  angels  of  mercy,  a  volunteer  army 
nurse.  Inquiry  has  hitherto  failed  to  reveal  more  concern 
ing  the  character  and  services  of  Miss  Chaso  than  has  been 
given  to  the  world  in  the  story  of  this  one-armed  volunteer ; 
but  this  alone  is  enough  to  enshrine  her  in  tho  grateful 
hearts  of  every  soldier,  and  win  for  her  tho  blessings  of  all 
who  love  virtue  and  their  country. 

After  describing  the  sensations  with  which  he  awoke  from, 
his  sleep  in  the  streets  of  Fredericksburg,  at  tho  sound  of 
heavy  cannonade,  and  the  manner  in  which  tho  division 
was  marched  out  and  pushed  forward  in  tho  attack,  "  One- 
Armed  "  continues  his  narrative  as  follows  :  — 

w  '  Steady,  men  —  forward  ! '  rang  out  tho  voice  of  our 
commander ;  and  disentangling  from  the  retreating  fugi 
tives,  we  steadily  bore  on  till  wo  neared  tho  batteries,  and 
with  a  cheer  sprang  forward.  That  instant  a  lino  of  fire 
leaped  from  behind  a  stone  wall  close  in  our  front,  and  —  I 

(SM) 


NEULTT    M.     CHASE.  537 

dou't  remember  anything  more  about  it.  My  next  recollec 
tions  were  of  a  confused  and  contradictory  character ;  ono 
instant  I  was  fully  conscious  ;  the  moment  following,  utterly 
lost. 

"  Then  I  would  imagine  I  was  at  homo  and  half  asleep, 
while  all  the  house  was  astir  with  some  past  or  anticipated 
catastrophe  with  which  I  was  in  some  way  connected.  Then 
all  was  dark,  and  a  groat  load  seemed  to  press  ino  down 
and  glue  mo  to  the  ground  in  spite  of  all  my  efforts  to  rise. 
Then  I  heard  voices,  all  strange  and  heartless  but  ono  ;  this 
had  chorda  of  human  sympathy  iu  it.  I.  could  feel  some 
thing  force  open  my  jaws,  aud  a  fluid  trickle  into  my  throat, 
which  I  managed  to  swallow  to  prevent  strangling  :  still  it 
trickled  dowu,  and  still  I  painfully  swallowed,  hoping, 
praying  that  it  would  stop  ;  but  it  did  not,  until  I  recognized 
that  it  was  some  powerful  stimulant  that  I  was  taking,  and 
that  I  was  becoming  more  able  to  swallow  it.  All  this  time 
I  could  hear  the  kind  voice  encouraging  mo  ;  also  some  cold, 
unsympathizing  voices.  I  could  not  distinguish  what  they 
euid  :  only  by  tho  tono  could  I  tell  the  sympathetic  from 
the  unsympathetic.  At  last  I  heard  the  words  iu  part  of 
ono  who  said,  'It's  no  use  working  over  him;  he's  dying 
now.'  Quietly,  but  O,  so  earnestly  and  tenderly,  the  kiud 
voice  replied,  '.No,  doctor,  he's  not  dying;  he's  coming  to 
life  ;  ho  will  live  if  we  don't  give  him  up.  This  wound  on 
his  head  won't  amount  to  anything  if  we  can  get  him 
warmed  up.  Don't  you  see  he's  been  nearly  frozen  to  death 
\vhilo  faint  from  loss  of  blood?  But  he's  coming  011  finely, 
and  by  and  by  you  can  toko  off  his  arm,  and  the  man  may 
get  well.  Who  knows  but  he  has  a  mother  or  a  sister  to 


538  WOMEN    OF    TBOB    WAB. 

love  him,  and  fh*ir*lr  you  or  me  some  day  for  a  son  or 
brother  saved  ? ' 

"  Yes,  I  was  saved ;  I  understood  it  all  now :  I  re 
membered  the  battle,  and  that  my  present  condition  was  in 
some  way  the .  result  of  it ;  and,  for  the  uake  of  that  dear 
mother  and  sister  so  strangely  invoked,  I  made  an  effort  to 
unclasp  my  eyelids,  and  opened  my  eyes  once  more  to  tho 
light  of  tho  sun.  At  first  tho  glaro  confused  mo,  but  soon 
I  could  distinguish  three  surgeons  beside  me,  watching  my 
symptoms  with  curiosity,  if  not  with  interest.  On  tho  other 
side  of  me,  as  I  lay  on  tho  ground  under  a  largo  hospital 
tent,  there  was  kneeling  a  woman  .*  her  left  hand  was  under 
my  head  ;  in  her  right  she  was  holding  a  spoon,  with  which, 
at  short  intervals,  she  dipped  some  warm  fluid  from  a  cup  hold 
by  a  boy  soldier,  her  attendant.  I  tried  to  speak,  but  could 
not;  she  merely  shook  her  head,  to  discourage  my  efforts, 
and  turning  to  tho  lad,  said,  'Now,  Johnny,  tho  bocf  soup.' 
In  a  moment  tho  soup  was  substituted  for  tho  toddy,  and  I 
gradually  felt  life,  and  tho  love  of  life,  coming  back  to  me. 
Looking  around,  I  saw  near  mo  a  basin  of  water,  with  a 
sponge,  and  tho  lady's  hands  covered  with  blood.  I  in 
ferred,  what  I  afterwards  learned  to  bo  tho  case,  that  sho 
had  been  washing  tho  clotted  gore  from  my  hair  and  face, 
and  had  discovered  that  what  looked  liko  a  fatal  wound  on. 
tho  head  was  merely  a  scalp  cut,  which  had  bled  profusely, 
and  looked  hopeless,  but  was  not  so  in  reality. 

"  Gradually  I  recovered  sufficient  strength  to  undergo  tho 
amputation  of  my  shattered  right  arm,  and  then  recovered 
entirely.  I  had  been  struck  both  on  the  head  and  arm  at 
the  same  time,  and  lay  senseless  on  the  field  till  late  in  tho 


NELLY    M.    CHASE.  539 

night,  whoa  the  stretcher-carriers  found  mo,  and  boro  mo 
to   tho    city,  where   I   was   thrown    into    an    ambulance .  and 
taken     across     the     river.        After     waiting     my    turn    with 
hundreds  of  others,  I  thank  God  that,  when  that  turn  came, 
I  fell  into  good  hands  —  tho  blessed  hands  of  a  kind-hearted 
woman  !      Even  hero,  amid  tho  roar  and  carnago,  was  found 
a  woman  with  tho  soul  to  daro  danger ;    tho  heart  to  sympa 
thize  with  tho  battle-stricken  ;    soiiso,  skill,  and    experience, 
to  mako    her   a   treasure    beyond    all    price.      The  choicest 
blessings  of  Heaven  bo  hers  in  all  time  to  come  !     Since  my 
recovery  I  havo  observed  her  in  her  ministrations,  and  I  see 
sho   is  gifted   in  a  wonderful  degree   for  scenes   like  these. 
She  has  been  in  tho  army  ever  since  tho  war  broke  out,  and 
ever    at    tho    front.      Roar    hospitals    aro    no    place    for    this 
noblo  girl.      Though   not   twenty-four  when    I    first    saw  her 
on  that  memorable  day,  I  do  not  boliovo,  as  an  army  nurse, 
sho    has   ail   equal  any  where.       The  surgeon  of  tho  Seventy- 
ninth  New  York,  stationed   in  the   hospital  from  which   this 
is  written,   has   placed    her  in   charge  of  our  supplies   and 
stores,  and  most  efficiently  docs  sho  deal  them  out. 

"  Many  a  poor  wounded  soldier  would  lack  his  timely 
stimulant,  or  food  proper  for  his  condition,  if  sho  did  not 
pass  through  tho  touts  at  all  hours  of  tho  day  and  night ;  for 
they  say  sho  seldom  sleeps.  .For  many  mouths  sho  waa  con 
nected  with  tho  One  Hundredth  Pennsylvania,  known  as  tho 
Roundhead  Regiment,  and  went  with  it  to  South  Carolina. 
At  tho  timo  of  Bcuham's  defeat  on  James  Island,  Dr. 
McDonald,  who  was  there,  says  sho  performed  incredible 
labors,  as  she  docs  hero.  Among  tho  many  developments 
of  character  produced  by  this  war,  I  havo  seen  none  that  I 


540  WOMEN    OF    TUB    WAS.. 

consider  more  admirable  than  Miss  Nelly  M.  Chase.  She 
has  never  been  a  paid  nurse,  but  considers  herself  a  mem 
ber  of  the  regiment,  and  works  for  others  only  when  sho 
cannot  accompany  it.  For  all  the  labors,  privations,  and 
hardships  of  her  campaigning  life,  her  only  reward  is  the 
consciousness  of  being  so  largely  useful,  and  the  unbounded 
admiration  and  gratitude  of  the  private  soldiers,  who  al 
most  worship  her." 


WOMAN'S     SACRIFICES. 

IN  ono  of  the  great  battles  of  the  war,  among  thousands 
of  similar  sacrifices,  tliero  fell  a  noble  young  man    from 
Philadelphia.      His  body  was  taken  up,  embalmed,  and   for 
warded  to  the  house  of  his  grandmother,  Mrs.  Ellet.      Soon 
after    its   arrival  two  sympathetic  and  warm-hearted  gentle 
men,    Mr.   George    H.   Stuart,   president  of   the   Christian 
Commission,    with  the    Rev.    Robert    Patterson,    D.  D.,   of 
Chicago,  called  upon  her  to  condole  with  her  upon  the  loss, 
and   to   offer  the   consolations   of  religion.        Dr.    Patterson 
expressed   the  hope  that  the   Lord  would  sustain  her  under 
her  bereavement.      "  I  regret,"  answered  the  noble-spirited 
woman,  "that  I  cannot  give  as  largely  of  my  means  to  this 
war  as  I  might  have  done  in  other  and.  better  days.      But  I 
shall  bo  happy  to  place  in  your  hands,  Mr.  Stuart,  two  beau 
tiful  and  very  valuablo  shawls,  the  proceeds  of  their  sale  to 
be   distributed   among  the  widows  and   orphans  of  soldiers 
fallen  in  battle.      Two  sous  I  have   already  given,  Commo 
dore  Ellet,  of  the  Rom  Fleet,  and  Brigadier-General  Ellet, 
of  the  Marino  Brigade,  and  four  grandsons  ;    nor  do  I  regret 
the  gift.      Had  I  twenty  sons,  I  would   devote  them  all  to 
the  cause.      "Were  I  twenty  years  younger,  I  would  go  and 
fight  myself  to  the  last,  for  the  country  must  and  shall  be 
preserved." 

(Ml) 


542  WOMEX    OF    THE    WAB. 

Shortly  after  the  first  call  of  President  Lincoln,  a  regi 
ment  of  volunteers  was  standing"  in  tbo  streets  of  0110  of  the 
cities  of  Pennsylvania,  nearly  ready  to  take  up  their  line  of 
march  for  the  national  capital. 

The  troops  were  very  gay  and  light-hearted.  Many  of 
them  were  boys,  and  thought  it  was  only  a  ninety  days' 
frolic  they  were  starting  on.  In  the  midst  of  a  small  squad 
of  hardy-looking  men  stood  a  tall,  raw- boned  youth,  whoso 
animal  spirits  seemed  to  bo  inexhaustible.  lie  had  been 
making  fun  for  them  all  tho  afternoon.  "Well,  boys,"  said 
he,  "we're  going  off — ar'n't  we?"  "Yes,  wo  are,"  replied 
half  a  dozen  voices.  "  When  wo  get  there,  may  bo  we  won't 
give  'em  fits,  eh?"  "  May  bo  wo  won't,"  was  tho  response. 
Just  then  an  old  woman  in  a  thin,  faded, woollen  shawl, 
came  elbowing  her  way  among  tho  men,  and  turning  up  a 
searching  look  to  one  after  another  of  tho  tallest  follows,  as 
though  very  anxious  to  find  some  one.  In  a  moment  sho 
stood  beforo  this  light-hearted  young  volunteer.  His  eyes 
dropped  instantly  ;  his  face  -was  covered  with  a  flush  ;  and  as 
he  turned  his  liead,  ho  lifted  his  finger  to  his  eyo,  and  shook 
it  with  a  twirl  as  ho  said,  "Now,  mother,  mother  I  you 
promised  mo  that  you  wouldn't  como  out — didn't  yo  ?  Now 
you  promised  me.  When  I  said  *  Good. by*  to  ye,  mother, 
I  told  yo  I  didn't  want  ye  to  como  out  hero  and  unman  mo, 
and  here  yo'vo  doiio  it.  Now  I  wish  ye  hadn't.'* 

The  old  woman  lifted  up  her  wrinkled,  labor-knotted 
hands,  and  laid  them  on  the  great,  broad  shoulders  of  her 
stalwart  boy.  The  tears  ran  down  her  face  as  sho  said, 
**  O,  Jack,  don't  scold  mo  ;  don't  scold  your  poor  old  mother, 
Jack  ;  you  know  you're  all  I  have,  Jock  5  and  I  didn't  come 


WOMAN'S  SACRIFICES.  543 

•  i 

out   to  unman  yc  ;   I  didn't  'como  out   to  unman  ye ,  Jack  :    I 

have  conio  to  say,  God  bless  ye,  Jack ;  God  bless  yo ;  " 
and  folding  tho  littlo  fndod  shawl  over  her  breast,  she 
slipped  away  between  the  men,  and  walked  rapidly  down 
the  street.  Tho  big  soldier  boy  drew  his  sleeve  rudely  over 
his  face,  and  bringing  down  his  arm  with  a  sort  of  vexed 
emphasis,  as  though  defying  tho  emotion  he  could  not  con 
trol,  blurted  .out,  as  a  sort  of  apology  for  his  wet  cheek, 
w  Hang  it,  boys,  she's  mother,  you  know." 

In  a  few  moments  tho  band  struck  up  a  lively  air,  and 
the  order,  "  Column,  forward,  march  !  "  came  down  the  long 
lino  from  tho  mounted  colonel. 

"  Just  then,"  says  a  bystander,  "  JL  saw  a  littlo  girl  stand 
ing  on  a  doorstop.  She  was  ten  or  twelve  years  of  age,  I 
should  judge.  As  I  looked  in  her  face,  my  attention  was 
arrested.  A  deep  cloud  of  sorrow  caino  over  and  rested 
upon  that  young  brow.  Sho  stood  with  her  Jittle  hands 
clasped  tightly,  and  the  childish  face  seemed  pinched  with, 
very  agony.  And  I  thought,  'Well,  now,  what  can  bo  tho 
matter  with  that  child  ?  *  I  determined  to  watch  her.  So  I 
took  my  stand  near  by.  Tho  sound  of  the  musio  grew 
nearer  and  nearer.  By  and  by  tho  heavy  tramp  of  tho  men 
waa  heard.  As  they  approached  us,  I  saw  that  littlo  form 
becoming  more  fixed  and  rigid  ;  tho  hands  began  to  quiver  j 
her  neck  woa  stretched  with  eager  intensity,  and  her  eyes 
wore  fairly  riveted  upon  the  men  as  they  came  inarching 
slowly  by  tho  door.  A  moment  after,  I  was  startled  by  a 
penetrating  littlo  voice,  as  sho  cried  out,  "O,  that's  him! 
that's  him  !•  It's  pa  !  it's  pa  !  Ho's  going  !  he's  going  !  he's 
gone  I  "  and  with  loud  sobbings,  as  though  sho  knew  sho 


544  WOMEX    OP    TETE    WAR. 

would  uever  sco  that  sober-faced,  broad-shouldered  patriot 
again,  she  turned  away  and  entered  the  house. 

A  MOTITEU'S  SACRIFICE. 

The  records  and  desolations  of  our  great  war  do  not 
appear  alono  in  tho  empty  sleeves  which,  we  sec  in  every 
village,  nor  in  the  blackened  ruins  that  mark  tho  pathway 
of  our  great  armies.  Tho  most  incurable  wounds,  and  the 
losses  hardest  to  be  supported,  were  suffered  by  the  mothers 
who  gave  up  darling  and  only  sons  to  tho  sacrifice. 

"What  mother  can  read  tho  following  story  of  tho  enlist 
ment  and  death  of  "  Little  Eddie,  tho  drummer  boy,*'  with 
out  feeling  that  neither  glory  nor  public  honors  can  ever 
make  up  her  loss  or  heal  her  lacerated  heaii?  "Wo  give  tho 
story  as  tho  soldiers  tell  it. 

"  A.  few  days  before  our  regiment  received  orders  to  join 
General  Lyon,  on  his  march  to  TVllson's  Crook,  the  drum 
mer  of  our  company  was  taken  sick  and  convoyed  to  tho 
hospital,  and  on  tho  evening  preceding  tho  day  that  we  wero 
to  march,  a  negro  was  arrested  within  tho  lines  of  tho  camp, 
and  brought  before  our  captain,  who  asked  him  'what  busi 
ness  ho  had  within  tho  lines  !  '  Ho  replied,  *  I  know  a 
drummer  that  you  would  like  to  enlist  in  your  company, 
and  I  have  como  to  tell  you  of  it.'  He  was  immediately 
requested  to  inform  tho  drummer  that  if  ho  would  enlist 
for  our  short  term  of  service,  he  would  be  allowed  extra 
pay  ;  and  to  do  this,  he  must  bo  on  the  ground  early  in  the 
morning.  Tho  negro  was  then  passed  beyond  the  guard. 

"  On  tho  following  morning  there  appeared  before  tho 
captain's  quarters,  during  the  beating  of  the  rSveille,  a  good- 


v  it  .-.'.  rikv     « i  -!ir     i..iti 

•t  r  ;    •  i . '  i  •  *i.    fi  !»•  1: .  u 

•  .-    •  '  ••  .ui-  • . ;      t «  .  I, 

:    *  i  i  •. :  <. . .  \\  >  •  •  ' . .  ;•     it-..    . 
i  :.«••  .-«-i  vi.  >   .      i;<-  •  ••  ••  ;  t    -. 

.  : .  i  i     Ii  !      >»  -I*  T    '  •» 


<  M  i  i     !    ,  •.    i    ,    .1    •  i  i  i  i  .    i  v  :  i  t    , ' 

i  h  i  •    I.*;.'   .  (     .  i  <     t . : :  t  • 

r    IS      f      .'•      :::     !u     '.    :lil 


"•    ;  ^^f^^^^K^^ 


WOMAN'S  SACRIFICES.  545 

looking,  middle-aged  woman,  dressed  in  deep  mourning, 
leading  by  the  hand  a  sharp,  sprightly-looking  boy,  appar 
ently  about  twelve  or  thirteen  years  of  ago.  Hcv  story  was 
soon  told.  She  was  from  East  Tennessee,  whero  her  hus 
band  had  been  killed  by  the  rebels,  and  all  their  property 
destroyed.  She  had  come  to  St.  Louis  in  search  of  her 
sister  ;  but  not  finding  her,  and  being  destitute  of  money, 
she  thought  if»  she  could  procure  a  situation  for  her  boy  as 
a  drummer  for  the  short  timo  that  wo  had  to  remain  in 
the  service,  she  could  find  employment  for  herself,  and  per 
haps  find  her  sister  by  the  timo  we  were  discharged. 

"During  the  rehearsal  of  her  story  the  little  fellow  kept 
his  eyes  intently  fixed  upon  tho  countenance  of  the  captain, 
who  was  about  to  express  a  determination  not  to  take  so 
small  a  boy,  when  he  spoke  out,  *  Don't  be  afraid,  captain  ; 
I  can.  drum.*  This  was  spoken  with  so  much  confidence, 
that  tho  captain  immediately  observed,  with  a  smile,  'A\rell, 
well,  sergeant,  bring  tho  drum,  and  order  our  fifor  to  come 
forward.'  In  a  fow  moments  tho  drum  was  produced,  and 
our  fifer,  a  tall,  round-shouldered,  good-natured  fellow,  from 
the  Dubuque  mines,  who  stood,  when  erect,  something  over 
six  feet  in  height,  soon  made  his  appearance. 

"Upon  being  introduced  to  his  new  comrade,  ho  stooped 
down,  with  his  hands  resting  upon  his  knees,  that  were 
thrown,  forward  into  an  acute  angle,  and  after  peering  into 
tho  little  fellow's  face  a  moment,  he  observed,  *  My  little 
man,  can  you  drum?'  'Yes,  sir,'  he  replied,  *I  drummed 
for  Captain  Hill,  in  Tennessee.'  Our  fifer  immediately  com 
menced  straightening  himself  upward  until  all  tho  angles  in 
his  person  had  disappeared,  when  he  placed  his  fife  at  his 
35 


546  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAR. 

mouth,  and  played  the  'Flowers  of  Edinboro" — ono  of  the 
most  difficult  things  to  follow  with  tho  drum  that  could 
have  been  selected  ;  and  nobly  did  tho  little  fellow  folkr.v 
him,  showing  himself  to  be  a  master  of  tho  drum.  When 
tho  music  ceased,  our  captain  turned  to  tho  mother  and 
observed,  'Madam,  I  will  tako  your  boy.  What  is  his 
namo?  '  'Edward  Loo,'  eha  replied  ;  than  placing  her  lumd 
upon  tho  captain's  arm,  she  continued,  'Captain,  if  ho  is  not 
killed  '  —  hero  her  maternal  feelings  overcame  her  utter 
ance,  and  sho  bent  down  over  her  boy  and  kissed  him  upon 
the  forehead.  As  sho  arose,  sho  observed,  'Captain,  you. 
will  bring  him  back  with  you  —  won't  you?  ' 

tc  c  Yes,  yes/  ho  replied,  '  \vo  will  bo  certain  to  bring  him 
back  with  us,      Wo  shall  bo  discharged  in  six  weeks.* 

"  In  an  hour  after,  our  company  led  tho  Iowa  First  out 
of  camp,  our  drum  and  fifo  playing  'The  girl  I  left  behind 
me.*  Eddie,  as  wo  called  him,  soon  became  a  great  favorito 
-with  all  the  men  in  tho  company.  When  any  of  tho  boys 
bad  returned  from  a  horticultural  excursion,  Eddie's  share 
of  the  peaches-  and  melons  was  tho  first  apportioned  out. 
During  our  heavy  and  fatiguing  march  from  Holla  to  Spring 
field,  it  was  often  amusing  to  seo  our  long-legged  fifcr 
wading  through  the  mud  with  our  little  drummer  mounted 
upon  his  back,  and  always  in  that  position  when  fording 
streams. 

"  During  tho  fight  at  Wilson's  Creek  I  was  stationed  with 
a  part  of  our  company  on  tho  right  of  Totteii's  battery,  while 
the  balance  of  our  company,  -with  a  part  of  tho  Illinois  regi 
ment,  was  ordered  down  into  a  deep  ravine  upon  our 
.left,  in  which  it  was  known  a  portion  of  tho  enemy 


WOMAN'S  SACRIFICES.  547 

concealed,  with  whom  they  were  soon  engaged.  The  contest 
in  tho  raviiio  continuing  some-  timo,  Totteii  suddenly  wheeled 
his  battery  upon  tho  enemy  in  that  quarter,  when  they  soon 
retreated  to  tho  high  ground  behind  their  lines.  In  less 
than  twenty  minutes  after  Totteii  had  driven  tho  enemy 
from  tho  raviiio,  tho  word  passed  from  man  to  man  through 
out  UIQ  army,  '  I^yoii  isi  killud  1  '  uiitl  «oon  after,  hostilities 
having  ceased  upon  both  sides,  tho  order  canio  for  our  main 
force  to  fall  back  upon  Springfield,  while  a  part  of  tho  Iowa 
First  and  two  companies  of  tho  Missouri  regiment  were  to 
camp  upon  the  ground  and  cover  the  retreat  next  morning. 
That  night  I  was  detailed  for  guard  duty,  my  turn  of  guard 
closing  with  tho  morning  call.  When  I  went  out  with  tho 
officer  as  a  relief,  I  found  that  my  post  was  upon  a  high 
eminence  that  overlooked  the  deep  ravine  in  which  our  men 
had  engaged  the  enemy,  until  Tottcii's  battery  came  to  their 
assistance.  It  was  u  dreary,  lonesome  beat.  Tho  moon, 
had  gone  down  in  tho  early  part  of  tho  night,  while  tho 
stars  twinkled  dimly  through  a  hazy  atmosphere,  lighting 
\ip  imperfectly  the  surrounding  objects.  Occasionally  I 
would  place  my  car  near  tho  ground  and  listen  for  tho 
sound  of  footsteps  ;  but  all  was  silent,  savo  tho  far-oflf  howl 
ing  of  tho  wolf,  that  seemed  to  scent  upon  tho  evening  air 
tho  banquet  that  wo  had  been  prcpuriug  for  him.  Tho 
hours  passed  slowly  away,  when  at  length  tho  morning  light 
began  to  streak  along  tho  eastern  sky,  making  surrounding 
objects  moro  plainly  visible.  Presently  I  heard  a  drum 
beat  up  tho  morning  call.  At  first  I  thought  it,  came  from 
the  camp  of  tho  enemy  across  the  creek  ;  but  as  I  listened, 
I  found  that  it  came  up  from  the  deep  ravine  ;  for  a  few 


548  WOMEN    OF   THE   WAR. 

minutes  it  was  silent,  mid  then,  as  it  became  more  light  I 
heard  it  again.  I  listened,  tho  sound  of  tho  drum  was 
familiar  to  mo,  and  I  knew  that  it  was 

4  Our  drummer  boy  from  Tennessee, 
for  help  the  reveille.' 


"  I  was  about  to  desert  my  post  to  go  to  hie  assistance  * 
•when  I  discovered  the  officer  of  tho  guard  approaching  with 
two  men.  Wo  all  listened  to  tho  sound,  and  were  satisfied 
that  it  was  Eddie's  drum.  I  asked  permission  to  go  to  his 
assistance.  Tho  officer  hesitated,  saying  that  tho  orders 
•wore  to  march  in  twenty  minutes.  I  promised  to  bo  back 
in  that  time,  and  ho  consented.  I  immediately  started 
down  tho  hill,  through  the  thick  undergrowth  ,  and  upon 
reaching  tho  valley,  I  followed  tho  eound  of  the  drum,  and 
soon  found  him  seated  upon  tho  ground,  his  back  leaning 
against  tho  trunk  of  a  fallen  tree,  -while  his  drum  hung 
upon  a  bush  in  front  of  him,  reaching  nearly  to  the  ground. 
As  soon  as  ho  discovered  me  ho  dropped  his  drumsticks 
and  exclaimed,  *'O  corporal,  I  am  so  glad  to  seo  you! 
Give  me  a  drink,'  reaching  out  his  hand  for  my  canteen, 
•which  was  empty.  I  immediately  turned  to  bring  him  somo 
•water  from  the  brook  that  I  could  hear  rippling  through 
the  bushes  near  by,  "when,  thinking  that  I  was  about  to 
.leave  him,  ho  commenced  crying,  saying  :  '  Don't  leave  me, 
corporal  -  1  can't  -walk.'  I  was  soon  back  with  tho  water, 
when  I  discovered  that  both  of  his  feet  had  been  shot  away 
by  a  cannon  ball.  After  satisfying  his  thirst,  ho  looked  up 
into  my  face  and  said,  *  You  don't  think  I  will  die,  cor 
poral,  do  you?  This  man  said  I  would  not  —  he  said  tho 


WOMAN'S  SACRIFICES. 

surgeon  could  euro  my  feet.'  I  now  discovered  a  man 
lying  in  tho  gross  iicar  him.  By  his  dress  I  recognized 
him  as  belonging  to  tho  enemy.  It  appeared  that  ho  had 
been  shot  through  tho  bowels,  and  fallen  near  where  Kddio 
lay.  Knowing  that  ho  could  not  live,  and  seeing  tho  con 
dition  of  tho  boy,  ho  had  crawled  to  him,  taken  oft*  hid 
buckskin,  suspenders,  and  corded  tho  little  fellow's  lega 
below  tho  knee,  and  then  laid  down  and  died.  While  ho 
was  telling  mo  thcso  particulars,  I  heard  tho  tramp  of  cav 
alry  coming  down  the  ravine,  and  in  a  moment  a  scout  of 
tho  enemy  wus  upon  us,  and  I  was  taken  prisoner.  I  re 
quested  tho  officer  to  take  Kddio  up  in  front  of  him,  and 
ho  did  so,  carrying  him  with  great  tenderness  and  care. 
"\Vhcn  wo  reached  the  camp  of  tho  enemy  tho  littlo  fel 
low  was  dead." 

"  THAT   KEELS   LIKE  MOTHER'S   IlAxn." 

During  tho  last  year  of  tho  conflict  a  young  officer  in  a 
Rhode  Island  battery  received  a  fearful  wound  in  his  right 
leg  from  a  fragment  of  a  shell.  A  week  of  dreadful  pain 
and  hardship  ensued,  during  which  he  was  transported  from 
tho  front,  near  Richmond,  to  Washington.  Tho  surgeon* 
hero,  upon  consultation,  advised  an  amputation.  lie  tele 
graphed  homo  that  all  was  well,  and  composed  himself  to 
bear  whatever  might  bo  in  tho  future,  with  tho  fortitude  of 
a  truo  soldier.  Tho  operation  was  performed  ;  but  tho 
condition  of  tho  patient  was  critical.  Ilis  constitution  did 
not  rally  after  tho  shock,  and  ho  was  carefully  nursed  «by 
one  of  thoso  angels  of  mercy  whoso  presence  illuminated 
so  many  of  our  military  hospitals. 


55O  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAR. 

Ilia  mother,  in  Rhode  Island,  who,  with  tho  intuition  of  a 
woman,  had  apprehended  tho  extent  of  tho  danger,  left 
home  on  the  receipt  of  the  telegraph,  and  reached  Washing 
ton  at  midnight.  As  the  surgeon  had  enjoined  tho  utmost 
calmness  and  quiet  as  indispensable  to  tho  wounded  hero, 
tho  mother  waa  not  allowed  to  see  her  suffering  boy  at 
once,  but  sat  in  an  adjoining  room  patiently  waiting  for 
daylight  and  tho  permission  of  tho  surgeon  to  enter  tho 
ward,  where  he  lay. 

As  tho  imrso  sat  there  fanning  tho  patient  and  resting 
her  fingers  on  tho  fluttering  and  feverish  pulse,  she  was 
thinking  every  moment  of  that  heavy-hearted  mother  hi 
tho  noxt  room,  every  fibre  of  whoso  heart  was  yearning 
to  como  and  sit  \vhoro  sho  wn3  sitting,  and  lay  her  hand  oil 
her  bo3r.  At  length,  when  tho  ward  was  still  and  dark,  sho 
glided  out,  and  told  his  mother  that  sho  might  go  in  very 
softly  and  take  her  place  ;  that  he  seemed  to  bo  sleeping,  and 
probably  would  not  know  the  difference.  Gently  and  with 
out  uttering  a  word,  she  moved  to  his  bedside,  and  laid  her 
fingers  on  tho  wrist,  as  the  nurso  had  directed  ;  but  tho 
patient,  though  apparently  asleep,  perceived  a  change  in  tho 
character  of  tho  touch.  Nature  was  too  strong  to  bo  de 
ceived  :  opening  his  eyes,  he  said,  "  That  feels  liko  my 
mother's  hand.  Who  is  this  beside  me?  It  is  my  mother  I 
Turn  up  the  gas,  and  let  mo  see  mother  !  " 

The  gas  was  turned  up.  Tho  true-hearted  boy  saw  that 
ho  was  right,  and  their  faces  now  met  in  a  long,  joyful, 
scabbing  embrace. 

He  rallied  a  little  after  sho  camo,  and  soemcd  to  try  very 
hard,  on  her  account,  to  feel  stronger.  But  tho  stump 


WOMAN'S  SACRIFICES.  551 

showed  bad  symptoms,  and  another  amputation,  nearer  the 
body,  was  decided  upon,  after  which  ho  sank. 

As  tho  ond  approached,  weeping  friends  told  him  that  it 
only  remained  to  make  his  condition  comfortable.  Ho  said 
ho  had  looked  death  in  tho  face  too  many  times  to  bo  afraid 
now.  lie  had  just  completed  his  twenty-first  year,  and  the 
third  of  his  service  in  tho  United  States  army,  when  tho 
final  bugle-call  reached  his  cars,  and  tho  mother  laid  away 
tho  mutilated  form  of  her  soldier  boy  m  a  sleep  from  which 
no  electrical  touch  of  maternal  lovo  can  over  waken  him. 

THE  "WoaiEN  OF  TIIE  PIIAIJUES. 

A  great  number  of  tho  moat  genuine  instances  of  heroism 
and  self  sacrifice  occurred  under  circumstances  that  render 
it  impossible  for  tho  historian  and  tho  annalist  to  preserve 
any  distinct  record  of  them.  Tho  soldier,  no  mutter  what 
his  regiment,  or  in  which  branch  of  tho  service  ho  has  011- 
listed,  whether  on  laud  or  on  sea,  moves  in  tho  cyo  of  tho 
world,  and  can  hardly  fail  of  duo  praiso  if  ho  exhibits  con 
spicuous  gallantry  on  tho  field,  or  uncommon  bravery  on 
tho  deck  of  tho  man-of-war.  13ut  tho  wife  and  tho  mother, 
tho  sister  and  tho  daughter,  who  have  boon  loft  "without  pro 
tection  and  without  aid  in  tho  solitary  cabin,  in  tho  lone 
some  cottage, «—  what  "general  order"  can  praiso  their  self- 
sacrifice  ?  what  bulletin  can  herald  their  acts  of  devotion  ? 

During  tho  four  years  while  tho  strugglo  continued, 
two  millions  of  men  in  tho  loyal  states  were  subtracted 
from  tho  productive  labor  of  tho  country,  and  for  longer  or 
shorter  periods  engaged  in  military  service.  In  the  manu 
facturing  communities  this  deficiency  could  bo  supplied 


552  WOMJ3X    OF    TILE    WAB. 

with  little  perceptible  derangement.  Machinery  could  do 
the  work  that  had  been  performed  by  muscle,  and  the  mil 
lions  of  Europe  were  separated  from  our  shores  by  an  ocean 
that  seems  ever  to  grow  narrower.  But  in  the  West  it  was 
otherwise,  for  that  part  of  our  country  id  agricultural. 
Nothing  could  have  enabled  thoao  magnificent  regions  to 
respond  so  promptly  and  enthusiastically  to  the  successive 
cnlla  for  men  as  they  did,  had  not  the  "  lump  of  sacrifice  " 
burned  011  all  thoso  hearth-stones;  had  not  tho  spirit  of 
Christian  heroism  inspired  tho  hearts  of  thoso  women  of 
tho  prairies. 

In  tho  absence  of  so  largo  a  number  of  farmers  and  farm 
laborers,  agricultural  production  would  in  many  sections 
have  been  cut  short,  in  others  almost  suspended,  had  not  tho 
women,  with  a  promptness  and  patriotism  rarely  equalled 
in  history,  volunteered  to  add  field  labor  to  their  home 
employments.  "  Go,"  said  they,  as  from  time  to  time  tho 
Good  President,  his  heart  burdened  with  the  woes  of  his 
people,  felt  tho  necessity  of  calling  for  fresh  relays  of 
men,  "go  at  tho  country's  call.  TVo  cannot,  for  wo  aro 
women ;  but  our  sex  does  not  prevent  us  from  assuming 
your  labors.  Go,  but  your  plough  shall  not  rust  in  tho 
furrow  where  you  have  left  it ;  woeds  shall  not  choko  tho 
corn  ;  tho  potatoes  will  not  be  left  to  rot  in  tho  ground  ; 
tho  ripened  wheat  shall  not  bo  abandoned  in  tho  golden 
fields.  With  tho  hands  that  God  has  given  us,  and  this 
fertile  soil  on  which  we  walk,  though  none  remain  with  us 
but  boys  and  graybeards,  neither  wo  nor  you  in  the  army 
shall  suffer  for  lack  of  bread."  How  nobly  that  pledge 
was  redeemed  is  shown  by  tho  wonderfully  prosperous  con- 


SACRIFICES.  553 

ditioii    of    tho    loyal    states    at    tho    end    of    four    years    of 
gigantic  warfare. 

\Vhcii  tho  scarred  and  swarthy  veterans,  the  lines  of 
whoso  marches  had  woven  a  network  over  the  entire  fnco 
of  tho  Southern  States,  returned  to  their  homes  amid  tho 
green  savannas  of  tho  broad  North-west,  there  wcro  no 
marks  of  neglect  to  bo  erased,  no  evidences  of  dilapida 
tion  uiid  decay.  They  found  their  farms  in  as  good  a  con 
dition  as  when  they  enlisted.  Enhanced  prices  had  bal 
anced  diminished  production.  Orops  had  been  planted, 
tended,  and  gathered,  by  hands  that  before  had  been  all 
unused  to  tho  hoc  and  tho  rake.  Tho  sadness  lasted  only 
in  thoso  households  —  alas  I  too  numerous  —  where  no  dis 
banding  of  armies  could  restore  tho  soldier  to  tho  loving 
arms  and  tho  blessed  industries  of  homo. 

But  oven  theso  desolated  families  wero  not  without  thoso 
consolations  that  for  tho  noble-hearted  can  rob  widowhood 
of  half  its  bitterness.  Had  they  not  fallen  bravely?  AVero 
not  their  names  forovcr  linked  with  great  battle-fields  ? 
And  had  not  tho  cause  for  which  they  had  shouldered  arms, 
and  for  which  they  had  poured  out  their  lives,  been  carried 
by  tho  united  labors  and  sacrifices  of  all  to  a  triumphant 
issue  and  a  glorious  peaco  ? 


MISS  JANE   BOSWELL  MOORE. 

SOMTD  who  gave  themselves  to  tho  toils  and  excitements 
of  army  life,  and  did  much  for  the  relief  of  suflTdring  in 
camp  and  hospital,  were  incited  by  the  recollection  of 
brilliant  achievements  and  shining  record  of  ancestors  and 
kinsmen  who  figured  conspicuously  in  tho  Revolution,  and 
in  the  old  English  wars.  This  was  especially  true  of  a 
young  lady  of  Baltimore,  IVliss  Jano  Bos  well  JSIooro,  who 
commenced  her  army  labors  in  tho  early  part  of  the  Avar, 
and  continued  them,  with  but  brief  interruptions  from  sick 
ness,  until  midsummer  of  1865,  after  tho  capture  of  Rich 
mond. 

Her  grandfather  was  a  colonel  under  Wellington  in  tho 
early  part  of  his  splendid  military  career,  when  he 

"  in   for   Aaaayo 
Clashed  with  his  fiery  few  and  won." 

Her  ancestors  on  both  sides  fought  at  tho  siege  of  Deny, 
and  distinguished  themselves.  Colonel  Andre w  Boyd,  a 
maternal  kinsman,  was  an  officer  who  served  with  rcputo  in 
the  war  of  the  Re  volution.  These  family  honors  and  tradi 
tions  had  so  wrought  upon  a  temperament  naturally  en 
thusiastic,  that  when  our  civil  war  began  to  mutter  its 
thunders,  and  to  rock  the  nation  with  tho  shock  of  arms, 


MISS    JANE    BOSWEUL    MOORE.  555 

Miss  Mooro  regarded  this  as  a  summons  to  her  to  show  by 
her  self-imposed  labors,  by  zeal  and  devotion,  by  courage 
in.  danger,  and  by  patience  in  hardships,  that  she  -was  not 
unworthy  of  the  martial  blood  she  inherited.  The  first 
service  she  performed  was  developed  in  the  loyal  press  of 
tho  city  to  which  sho  belonged,  in  a  series  of  pungent  and 
-unanswerable  rebukes  to  treason.  "\Vhen  sho  entered  upon 
her  duties  in  tho  sanitary  field  of  tho  war,  her  mother 
became  her  inseparable  companion,  and  tho  story  oi"  their 
experiences,  most  of  which  is  from  their  own  lips,  will  be 
found  in  tha  words  which  follow  :  — 

"Who  can  do  justice  to  the  heroism  and  endurance  of  our 
soldiers  in  this  war?  Tho  patriotism  of  a  true  private 
seems  to  excel  all  others  —  it  is  so  pure,  so  free  from 
hope  or  expectation  of  gain  or  renown,  so  unselfish  and 
real.  Of  tho  tens  of  thousands  who  have  fallen,  unknown, 
save  to  a  few  dear  ones  of  tho  homo  circle,  it  may  bo  truth 
fully  bo  said,  Their  only  record  is  on  high,  and  in  the  oyee 
of  Him  to  whom  all  thoughts  and  motives  are  open,  surely 
no  sight  can  bo  more  pleasing,  than  tho  steady  performance 
of  noble,  faithful  deeds,  without  thought  of,  or  reference  to, 
earthly  reward.  No  noblo  or  heroic  action,  can  ever  be 
without  its  measure  of  influence  :  to  rescue,  then,  a  few  of 
these  from  forgctfulness,  is  110  unworthy  endeavor. 

It  is  not  often  I  allow  myself  to  dwell  ou  tho  fearful 
realities  of  tho  past,  as  they  now  rise  before  me  ;  —  from 
tho  first  hospital,  or  barracks  thrown  open  in  Baltimore, 
after  tho  battles  of  Dull  Run  and  Williamsburg,  to  tho 
closing  scones  of  tho  great  struggle.  A  simple  incident 
led  us  to  ono  of  these,  —  even  as  \vo  hoard  convalescing 


556  WOMEN    OP    TUB    WAtt. 

patients  allude  to  the  battle-fields — I  fainted.  But  they  said 
our  sympathy  cheered  them,  and  after  a  determined  strug 
gle  our  visits  were  constant.  How  little  my  mother  or  self 
then  thought  of  the  scenes  awaiting  us  I  Among  returned 
prisoners  at  Mclvim's,  we  saw  Samuel  E.  Smith,  a  Peuns3rl- 
vania  lad,  tho  fragrant  memorial  of  whoso  early  death  has 
since  gone  forth  to  many  thousands  of  souls.  By  tho  light 
of  a  dimly-rising  moon  wo  rode  over  tho  burial  trenches 
of  Antictain  to  Smoketown  Hospital,  through  whoso  scat 
tered  grove  of  trees  the  roaring  of  tho  December  wind 
sounded  like  the  notes  of  some  great  funeral  organ.  Our 
tent  was  daily  visited  by  an  ever  coming  and  going  throng 
of  the  maimed  and  sick.  How  humble  their  thanks  for 
paper,  ink,  books,  and  little  delicacies  made  us  !  We  had 
no  more  welcome  gucat  than  tho  t/ten  boy-hero,  James  O. 
Ladd,  of  Massachusetts,  whose  right  arm  was  gone.  'But 
O,'  said  he  with  gathering  tears,  'it  cau'fc  bo  that  my  days 
of  helping  the  cause  arc  over.  I  want  to  do  more,  O,  so 
much  more  I '  What  a  history  was  that  of  this  gifted 
youth,  who  has  been  in  tho  service  ever  since  passing 
six  months  in  southern  prisons  !  A  picture  of  desolate 
grandeur  was  Harper's  Ferry,  with  its  rude  hospitals,  its 
dead  on  tho  hill-side,  whoso  march  was  over,  and  its  tens 
of  thousands  of  tho  living  thronging  every  winding  path 
on  their  way  to  Fredericksburg,  JMartinsburg,  and  Cum 
berland,  in  whoso  old  mill,  on  a  wild  March  evening,  wo 
watched  tho  failing  breath  of  Button,  a  New  York  soldier, 
dying  away  from  c  an  ever-loving  and  almost  forsaken 
mother ' ;  irom  Grafton  and  Wheeling  to  tho  old  ruined 
town  of  Winchester,  by  whoso  desolate  churches  so  many 


MISS    JAKE    BOSWEILL    MOORE.  557 

of  our  dead  aro  sleeping,  and  our  little  room  in  Taylor 
Hospital  then  (under  General  IMilroy)  crowded  with  fever 
patients. 

W^e  hurried  away  from  hero  to  tho  wounded  of  Chnnccl- 
lorsville,  those  of  a  single  corps  covering  a  largo  plain  at 
Brook  Station.  Our  tents  (for  store-room,  kitchen,  and 
sleeping)  wero  in  a  secluded  ravine,  overhung  with  laurel. 
"We  had  sad  music  —  tho  bands  on  tho  hill-sido  with  their 
mournful  'dead  march,' by  open  graves,  and  tho  plaintive 
cry  of  tho  whippoorwill,  when  our  busy  day  was  clone. 
The  hurried  falling  back,  and  Gettysburg  with  all  its  horrors, 
among  whoso  dead  and  dying  wo  passed  a  month,  and 
then  found  ourselves  encamped  along  tho  Rappahannock. 
In  tho  midst  of  spring's  early  blossoms  wo  watched  Sigel's 
inarch  up  tho  Valley,  visiting  his  forces  just  before  they 
left  Winchester,  with  stationery,  pickles,  &c.,  and  hurried 
back  over  deserted  roads,  with  our  precious  mail-bags 
bearing  thirteen  hundred  letters,  many  of  them  tho  lost 
messages  to  friends,  and  a  largo  llag  intrusted  to  us,  and 
recaptured  from  tho  rebels,  who  took  it  from  us  at  tho  time 
of  Milroy's  disaster.  A  deserted  cabin  formed  our  next 
quarters  at  Point  of  Rocks,  close  to  tho  swamps  of  tho 
Appomattox,  whoro  wo  saw  tlio  opening  bombardment  of 
Petersburg.  Tho  New  Hampshire  youth,  Leonard  Wiggaii, 
fell  asleep  here  as  the  guns  wero  firing,  with  whispered 
words  of  his  widowed  mother,  the  shade  of  green  trees, 
and  the  babbling  brook  at  home. 

"How  distinctly  memory  recalla  the  night  of  his  death  — 
the  doors,  windows,  and  walls  of  our  rude  dwelling  shook 
and  rattled  so  under  every  gun,  that  we  willingly  left  it, 


558  WOMEN  OF  TQE  WAR. 

and  stood  by  the  stile  in  the  light  of  a  full  moon,  watching 
the  exploding  shells.  We  then  made  Leonard  the  lemon- 
ado  ho  had  enjoyed  ao  much,  for  the  last  time.  Before  the 
morning  broke,  he  heard  the  guns  no  more.  Ilia  prayer, 
'Lord,  tako  me  homo  from  all  my  sufferings,'  was  answered. 

"Half  an  hour  after  they  were  wounded,  many  of  the  vic 
tims  of  the  fatal  mine  explosion  were  under  our  care,  for, 
by  a  special  order  from  General  Grant,  wo  were  allowed 
to  removo  to  tho  '  front,1  something  over  a  mile  and 
a  half  from  Petersburg.  Our  tent,  which  stood  in  tho 
midst  of  a  group  of  pines,  was  shaded  with  boughs,  and  tho 
earth  strewn  with  a  carpet  of  piiio  needles,  tho  dull,  monot 
onous,  awful  sound  of  continued  musketry  firing  being  ever 
in  our  cars.  The  soul  sickens  with  tho  horror  of  tho  scenes 
in  those  woods  on  and  after  July  30.  What  noblo  let 
ters  those  bravo,  crippled,  colored  soldiers  dictated,  through 
us,  to  friends  they  were  never  to  see  ! 

ct  Amid  the  booming  of  guns  from  tho  neighboring  battle 
field  of  Cedar  Creek,  on  an  October  morning,  wo  entered 
our  little  room  on  Cracldock  Street,  Winchester.  How 
many  times  were  tho  barrels  and  boxes  of  that  crowded 
spot  replenished  by  tho  Sanitary  and  Christian  Commis 
sions  during  the  six  long,  busy  months  of  labor  among 
the  regimental  hospitals,  as  well  as  in  tho  snowy  tents  of 
Sheridan,  covering  so  many  suffering  and  dying  souls  \ 

"O,  tho  sad  heart-rending  letters  written  nightly  to  kin 
dred  fur  away,  by  that  blaming  fire  of  Virginia  rails. 
Twenty  messengers  sometimes  in  a  day,  some  to  stricken 
parents,  telling  of  tho  death  of  a  first  or  youngest  born  ; 
some  wife  would  learn  from  another  that  strangers  cared 


MISS    JAXE    BOS  WELL    MOORE.  559 

for  aud  closed  tho  eyes  of  a  dying  husband  ;  while  to 
others  tidings  of  safety  were  gladly  Kent.  Thut  long*  cold 
•winter,  with  its  varied  and  constant  cares,  passed  away,  and 
with  tearful  eyes,  on  a  Sabbath  morning  iu  spring,  we  heard 
tho  church  windows  rattle  amid  tho  booming  of  great  guns, 
and  rejoiced,  though  iu  an  enemy's  country,  that  victory 
long  delayed  was  ours.  But  tho  bravo  mcu  who  had  earned 
it  for  us  were  weary  ;  so  wo  passed  under  Fort  Drury'a  now 
silent  guns,  with  our  stores,  into  Richmond,  for  ton  weeks' 
labor  among  worn-out  troops.  Thin  aceined  tho  hardest  of 
all  our  campaigns  ;  but  the  end  was  near  :  we  saw  it  when  tho 
several  armies  passed  through  that  city,  bearing  tho  tattered 
remnants  of  what  had  onco  been  banners,  intrusted  to  them 
by  a  redeemed  people.  Many  wcro  so  worn  out  that  wo 
found  it  harder  to  cheer  them  than  during  tho  Avar.  Aro 
you  weary,  reader,  even  of  tho  hasty  record  of  theso  cam 
paigns?  Think,  then,  of  tho  debt  wo  owe  to  those  who  en 
dured  them  for  us.  ...  Among  tho  wounded  at  Brook 
Station,  wcro  many  who  wcro  mcro  boys.  I  remember  tho 
names  of  three  from  far-off  states,  William  Lauer,  Hugh  Mc 
Donald,  and  Edward  Goodman.  They  had  lost  limbs,  and  I 
shall  never  forget  their  simple,  childish  joy,  when  I  put 
asido  their  coarso  hospital  fare,  and  gave  them  instead,  ou 
their  tin  plates,  soft  crackers,  butter,  and  nourishing,  food. 
They  were  too  shy  to  speak  but  little.  Hugh  wiped  his 
moist  eyes  with  his  0110  remaining  hand.  Edward  was  a 
littlo  German  boy.  On  my  way  to  a  dying  soldier  who 
thought  I  could  mako  him  tea,  and  custard,  such  ns  he  had 
had  at  homo,  a  nurse  ran  out  to  ask  me  to  stop  on  my  re 
turn  at  hia  tent,  where  a  littlo  boy,  who  had  lost  a  leg, 


560  WOMEN    OF   Tim    WAB. 

was  anxious  to  sco  inc.  I  wont  to  his  cot  and  offered  him 
some  delicacy,  when  he  remarked,  with  great  earnestness, 
f  It  is  not  for  the  things  you  bring,  though  they  are  very 
nice,  that  I  want  to  see  you ;  but  the  sight  of  your  face 
does  mo  so  much  good  !  and  here  I  haven't  seen  you  in  four 
days  ! '  A  burst  of  laughter  greeted  this  speech,  and  I  was 
obliged  to  explain  that  my  absence  had  been  through  no 
neglect,  but  from  the  fact  that  there  were  hundreds  in  that 
corps  to  whom  my  visits  were  exceedingly  desirable  ;  but 
from  that  time,  whenever  it  was  at  all  possible,  J  went  in 
and  for  a  few  minutes  let  him  look  at  me,  which  ho  always 
did  steadily,  and  with  an  expression  of  sincere  childish 
satisfaction.  The  last  time  X  saw  him  was  on  tho  morning 
of  that  hurried  abandonment  of  Acquia  Creek,  as  I  dis 
tributed  lemons,  boiled  eggs,  and  other  articles  among  those 
waiting  removal.  He  lay  on  a  stretcher  in  tho  sun,  by  tho 
rude  freight  cars,  and  I  trembled,  as  I  filled  his  canteen, 
for  the  poor  maimed  member,  after  its  secondary  amputa 
tion,  having  that  rough  ride  in  prospect.  'Are  you  going 
with  us? 'he  asked.  *No,'I  replied,  'wo  shall  not  leave 
until  all  the  wounded  are  away.*  '  "Will  yon  come  and  see 
me  in  \Vashington  ? '  *  I  am  afraid  not  5  there  "will  prob 
ably  be  another  battle,  and  other  poor  boys  will  need  me.' 

n  On  carrying  to  Dolton  his  daily  meal,  I  found  on  tho 
next  cot  an  Ohio  lad  of  nineteen,  whose  leg  had  been  ampu 
tated  the  day  before.  BCe  had  not  eaten  anything  all  day, 
but  took  some  crackers,  fruit,  and  a  cup  of  tea,  and  then 
told  me  he  had  two  lemons  in  his  knapsack,  which  ho  was 
afraid  would  spoil,  as  he  could  get  no  ono  to  make  him 
some  lemonade.  I  made  him  a  tin  cup  full,  and  heard  him 


MISS    JAJSTE    BOSWEUL    MOORE.  561 

say  it  was  the  best  ho  had  over  tasted.  Ono  day  bo  showed 
me  a  letter  from  homo.  '  Isn't  it  a  nice  long  ono  ?  Father 
-wrote  a  bit,  and  then  mother  ;  and  then  they  were  afraid  it 
wasn't  enough,  and  they  wrote  more.'  And  a  noble  letter 
it  was, — every  line  of  the  four  foolscap  pages  telling  of 
yearning  love,  of  sharp  pain  smothered  for  his  sake  ;  the 
mother's  heart  longing  to  have  him  with  her,  to  show  him 
how  ho  should  'bo  nursed  and  cared  for ;  but  the  father  bade 
him  bo  of  good  cheer  ;  it  would  bo  strange  if  they  would 
not  look  after  him,  and  ho  would  much  rather  have  him 
crippled  as  ho  was,  than  have  the  taint  of  coward  or  cop 
perhead  on  his  name.  I  told  Albert!s  soldier  scribe  to  tell 
his  mother,  a  southern  woman  who  detested  treason  and 
who  know  better  than  many  its  cost,  had  charge  of  him,  and 
would  do  all  in  her  power  for  him.  fPvo  just  been  having 
him  tell  her  so,'  was  his  pleased  reply. 

w  Late  at  night  our  room  in  Taylor  Hospital  was  closed, 
and  amid  the  sound  of  nailing  coffins  in  the  next  room,  we 
sought  sleep.  But  a  constant  hollow  cough  was  heard  from 
the  opposite  side,  and  one  day  a  pale,  consumptive  boy 
handed  us  a  handkerchief  to  hem,  saying  ho  had  bought  it, 
and  'paid  money  for  it.*  It  was  hia  cough  wo  had  heard  ; 
ho  ivas  the  only  son  of  a  poor  widow  in  "West  Virginia. 
"When  wo  asked  him  if  ho  would  not  like  to  die  at  home, 
his  sad  face  assumed  nn  almost  hopeless  expression,  as  he 
said,  '  his  mother  would  bo  the  proudest  woman  in  'West 
Virginia  if  she  could  only  see  her  boy  ;  but  ho  had  no  hope 
of  it.'  "We  said  nothing  to  raise  his  hopes,  for  wo  well 
know  the  character  of  the  surgeon  of  his  regiment,  since 
gone  to  give  account  for  much  cruelty ;  but  we  lost  no  tune 
80 


562  WOMEN    OF   THE    WAR. 

in  making  his  cose  known,  to  General  Mllroy,  whoso  indig- 
natioii  was  almost  aa  great  as  our  own.  In  tho  evening  I 
carried  him  tho  news,  with  his  supper,  filling  his  haversack 
with  good  things.  Ho  could  hardly  credit  mo,  and  was  so 
weak  that  it  seemed  doubtful  how  ho  would  travel  tho  fivo 
miles  from  tho  railroad  station  to  his  home.  c  Somebody 
will  give  you  a  lift,'  I  said  as  cheerily  as  I  couJd  ;  l  just  tell 
them,  your  atory.'  How  long  ho  lived  I  never  knew. 

"  Not  tho  least  distressing  sight,  after  a  great  battle,  is 
that  of  friends  in  search  of  tho  wounded  and  fallen.  Oft- 
times  tho  claims  of  those  suffering  are  so  great  that  tho 
dead  can  scarcely  bo  thought  of.  Olio  evening  a  poor 
widow,  with  five  little  children  ut  homo  dependent  on  her 
earnings  as  a  seamstress,  came  from  Philadelphia  to  look 
for  her  eldest  boy  on  tho  field  of  Gettysburg.  She  had 
heard  ho  was  dead,  but  could  not  beliovo  it.  On  reaching 
the  hospital  she  was  told  ho  was  in  one  of  tho  tents.  *O,' 
she  said,  '  how  my  heart  beat  for  joy  I  but  when  I  went  in, 
they  told  me  ho  was  dead.'  Ho  Lad  written  to  her  that 
nothing  v/ould  induce  him  to  miss  this  battle,  as  on  it 
depended  tho  fate  of  Pennsylvania,  and  perhaps  the  whole 
country.  During  the  last  day's  battle  ho  raised  his  head 
from  behind  a  stono  wall  to  fire,  and  being  shot  through  tho 
head,  was  instantly  killed.  f  O,'  said  the  poor  mother, 
'if  I  could  only  know  ho  was  prepared  I '  Sho  could  be 
resigned  to  it  all,  .sho  said,  if  hor  boy's  body  could  go  with 
her,  and  be  buried  where  she  could  see  his  grave.  And  in 
perfect  trust,  she  handed  me  fifteen  dollars, —  all  she  had, — 
and  begged  me  to  tell  her  what  to  do.  I  had  not  a  minute 
to  .sparo,  save  early  in  the  morning ;  but  I  made  diligent 


MISS    JANE    BOS  WELL    MOORE.  563 

inquiry,  and  found  a  comrade  of  her  son,  who  described 
his  grave.  Then  we  wont  together  to  the  man  who  removed 
and  prepared  bodies  for  transportation.  It  was  clear  her 
money  would  amount  to  little.  I  said  so  while  I  was  think 
ing  what  to  do,  and  she  fearfully  caught  at  the  words, 
assuring  mo  she  would  sew  at  government  tents  and  bugs, 
any  length  of  time  after  her  return,  to  make  it  up.  'Such 
an,  idea  never  entered  my  mind,'  I  replied;  'I  was  only 
thinking  what  was  best  to  do.  Wo  will  arrange  it  eomo 
way.'  So  I  told  her  story  to  the  grave-digger,  whoso  wifo 
at  once  gave  her  her  board  in  their  humble  house,  while 
her  husband  reduced  his  charges.  Thon  wo  walked  to 
Adams  express  office,  passing  a  great  pile  of  rusty  muskets 
lately  gathered  from  the  battle-field.  I  could  hardly  get 
her  away  from  those.  '  I  wonder  if  my  boy's  is  there,'  sho 
said  sadly ;  and  then,  as  sho  entered  tho  express  office, 
where  her  feelings  overcame  her,  c  It  was  through  it,'  she 
said,  f  my  boy  used  to  send  mo  his  little  bit  of  money  ! ' 
Only  tho  beginning,  thought  I,  of  sad  memories  to  haunt 
her  afler-lifb.  Hero  I  pleaded  her  cnso  again,  not  doubting 
the  result,  as  every  facility  possible  had  been  afforded  mo 
during  the  war  from  tho  company.  Transportation  tickets 
to  Baltimore  were  next  procured,  and  I  hurriedly  wrote,  in 
the  office  of  tho  provost,  a  iioto  to  a  friend  who  would  pass 
her  the  rest  of  the  way.  Then  she  rode  in  the  ambulance 
as  for  as  it  wont  on  her  way  to  search,  for  tho  grave,  and  I 
promised  to  see  her  again  in  the  evening.  Tho  excitement 
was  then  over;  sho  had  found  tho  grave,  and  though  unablo 
to  see  her  boy,  a  lock  of  his  hair  had  been  cut  for  her,  and 
all  was  ready  for  her  to  leave  on  the  morrow,  a  gentleman 


564  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAH. 

in  Philadelphia  having  offered  hor  burtaUrooin  in  his  lot. 
But  words  failed  her  when  she  tried  to  express  her  gratiude  ; 
she  could  only  pour  out  blessings. 

*  "  As  I  moved  in  the  midst  of  tho  appalling  scenes  on  tho 
day  of  tho  mine  explosion  at  Petersburg,  I  heard  many 
groans  and  prayers.  One  just  brought  from  tho  *  table,* 
was  saying,  with  all  the  fervor  of  a  departing  soul,  f  I  shall 
never  see  my  home  again ;  but,  Lord,  don't  you  forget  mo.' 
Colored  citizens  of  Baltimore  cried  to  iis  to  givo  them  '  only 
one  cracker,*  and  our  'hearts  melted  when  tho  appeal  was 
enforced  by  their  directing  attention  to  tho  stump  of  an  am 
putated  arm  or  log.  The  distress  of  one  poor  boy  was 
great ;  yet  he  eagerly  questioned  all  whom  ho  saw  as  to  the 
result  of  tho  battle.  "No  one  seemed  able  to  soothe  him;  he 
mentioned  the  names  of  tho  boys  in  his  regiment,  and  his 
great  concern  for  them. ;  then  his  eyes  filled  with  tears,  and 
he  wept,  unmindful  of  his  own  wound.  I  went  to  him,  and 
told  him  how  fearful  I  was  that  ho  would  injure  himself  by 
excitement,  which  could  do  no  good.  c  "\Vero  wo  to  give 
way  to  our  feelings  at  such  a  time,  what  would  becomo  of 
us,  or  those  around  us  ?  It  is  an  awful  day  to  ua  all ;  wo 
can  only  trust  in  God.  Now  I  want  to  do  all  I  can  to  help 
these  poor  boys,  and  to  do  so  I  must  bo  very  culm  ;  I  fciioto 
you  will  help  me.'  He  smiled  amid  his  tears,  saying,  'I 
haven't  seen  a  lady  for  months,  and  it  does  seem  sweet  to  see 
one  in  this  awful  place.' 

"When,  in  a  drenching  rain,  we  visited Hoxall'a Landing, 
on  James  River,  with  barrels  of  pickles  for  Sheridan's  weary 
raiders,  the  brave  and  chivalrous  Colonel  Preston,of  the  First 
"Vermont  cavalry,  tin  cup  in  hand,  dealt  them  out  to  his 


MISS    JANE     BOHWMLL,    MOORE.  565 

tired  men.  meeting  our  thanks  witU  the  reply,  'ISTo,  Indies, 
I  feel  that  I  cannot  do  too  much  for  soldiers.'  And  then 
he  proposed,  and  they  all  gave,  three  hearty  eheers  for  their 
friends  in  Baltimore.  Hut  a  short  time  after,  riding  in  the 
cars,  I  saw  chronicled  in  tho  morning  paper  the  heavy  loss 
of  the  First  Vermont,  and  tho  death  of  tho  noble  colonel, 
leading  a  charge  at  Cold  Harbor.  Tho  same  kind  interest 
was  shown  by  tho  bravo  Colonel  Thoburn  of  the  First  West 
Virginia,  on  our  somewhat  perilous  trip  to  Romney,  and 
long  afterwords,  at  tho  close  of  a  weary  day  in.  Winchester, 
wo  saw  hia  coffin  borne  through  with  tearful  eyes. 

"In  ward  twenty  of  Sheridan  Hospital  lay  a  soldier 
named  Powers,  who  had  a  wife  and  six  children  in  Connecti 
cut.  His  wound  was  through  tho  body.  When  I  first 
saw  him,  ho  was  weak  and  faint,  emaciated  almost  to  a 
skeleton,  and  so  fcoblo  and  tremulous,  that  ho  could  not 
raiso  a  cup  to  his  lips  without  assistance.  His  eyes  were 
unnaturally  bright ;  but  his  nurse,  a  kind,  intelligent  man, 
thought,  with  tho  best  of  food  and  care,  ho  might  yet  bo 
saved.  'But,'  said  ho,  '  whero  is  ho  to  get  them?*  Hia 
physician  was  a  Scotchman,  always  grateful  for  attention 
paid  his  patients  ;  and  from  that  day  I  took  this  one  under 
my  especial  caro,  driving  daily  to  his  tent  with,  wine,  milk 
punch,  egg-nog,  canned  chicken,  butter,  jelly,  tea,  pickles, 
<fcc.,  varying  his  faro  as  often  as  possible,  and  his  improve 
ment  fairly  astonished  us.  At  first  it  was  a  little  jolly  he 
craved,  and  that  tasted  *  so  good'  to  him  ;  but  by  and  by  ho 
relished  stronger  food.  For  thirty  years,  wo  were  told, 
Shenandoah  Valley  had  not  seen  such  a  winter.  Even  in 
February  the  enow  was  a  foot  deep,  and  tho  cold  was 


566  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAK. 

i 

severely  felt  in  those  open  tents  on  that  bleak  hill-side. 
Powers's  clothes  were  cotton,  and  thin  at  that.  But  thanks 
to  kind  hearts  somewhere,  I  was  able  to  furnish  him  with  a 
warm  woollen  outfit ;  and  as  I  handed  him  each  garment,  ho 
looked  up  earnestly,  saying,  f  Now,  arc  you  sure  I  am  not 
taking  too  much  from  you  ?  '  I  told  him  ho  must  thank 
others  for  them,  and  that  I  only  fulfilled  my  duty  in  giving 
them.  One  day  the  surgeon  in  charge  passed  through,  and 
seeing  him,  exclaimed,  c  Why,  man,  I  thought  you  wcro 
dead  long  ago?  *  And  so  he  would  have  been,  but  for  those 
donations  of  friends  intrusted  to  us.  When  I  asked  him  to 
inscribe  a  line  in  my  note-book  by  way  of  remembrance,  ho 
replied,  '  I  am  too  weak  to  hold  the  pen  firmly  ;  but  writo 
for  inc,  and  let  it  be,  w  You  TOOK  are  FROM  I>EATII  I  " ' 
What  true  Irish  eloquence  was  that  I  His  physician  wrote 
under  it,  '  I  fully  indorse  tho  above,  and  also  thank  you  for 
your  unwearying  kindness.  C.  M.  ISI'LiAUREE.' 

"In  the  same  hospital  was  Isaac  Price,  of  tho  Fifteenth 
Virginia,  a  soldier  of  thirty-eight  years  of  age,  with  a  wifo 
and  nino  children,  tho  eldest  of  "whom,  a  lad  of  nineteen, 
was  in  the  Tenth  Virginia.  But  tho  greatest  of  calamities 
had  fallen  upon  him.  Both  his  arms  had  been  amputated  ; 
yet  ho  was  cheerful  and  patient,  always  greeting  us  with  a 
smile.  On  the  receipt  of  a  bag  of  clothing  at  Christmas, 
he  dictated  a  letter  in  reply  from  his  homo  in  Bcalington, 
Barbour  County,  West  Virginia.  Nor  was  his  the  only  case. 
After  the  battle  of  Antietam,  in  the  hospitals  of  Frederick, 
we  talked  "with  Arias  H.  Young,  a  lad  of  seventeen,  from 
Wisconsin,  and  Daniel  Fuller,  from  Pennsylvania,  both  of 
whom  were  thus  terribly  stricken. 


MISS    JAXE    BOSWELI,    MOORE.  567 

"111  the  hospital- nt  Point  of  Rocks,  011  tho  Appomattox, 
two   cases   were  peculiarly  distressing.      One  was  that  of  a 
soldier    named    Ileskctt,  who   left  a   mother,  wife,  and    four 
little  children,  all  very  destitute.      Two  of  his   hrothcrs  had 
died    in    tho    army,    ono    never   having    heen    heai  i    from  ; 
another,    William,    was    iu    tho    service,    and    Iloskett    was 
dying.        In  his  dolhrium  ho  frequently  turned  to  his  nurse, 
exclaiming,  '  There's  my  "wife  !      She   came    up   hero    to    see 
mo  I      Why  don't  you   let  her  come  ? '      When  I   wished  to 
write   to   his  mother,    '  O,    no,f   ho    said,   'my    mother  can't 
bear  any  more  trouble.      She  has   lost   so   much  ! '      IIo  was 
ono  of  tho  hundred  days'  men.  from  Ohio,  and  his  sorrowing 
family  was  unable  even  to  have   his   remains  brought   home. 
Tho    other   -was    Ilummiston,    who    also   volunteered    for    a 
hundred  day  a.      About  an  hour  before   his  death,  as  ho  lay 
on  tho  earth,  with  a  knapsack  for  a  pillow,    a  letter,  oueo 
anxiously  looked   for,   but   now,    alas!    powerless   to    givo 
consolation,  was  brought  in  and  laid  by  hi**  side.      It  was  a 
cheerful,    happy    letter,    from    a    loving,    ii.dustrious    wife, 
telling  of  household   straits  and  cares,  with  all  tho  sunshine 
of  a  glad  spirit,  enough  to  givo  tho  hardest  heart  a  pang  to 
read  it,  and  then  look  at  that  unconscious,    lying  man  !      In 
it  was  tho  lirst  child-letter  of  his  little  daughter,  Flora,  '  to 
dear   pa.'      In   a  subsequent   letter,    Mrs.    Hummiston   says, 
'  I  have   four  children,  tho   eldest  about  ten  years  old,  and 
the    youngest   seventeen    months.       I   feel    I    have    a   great 
responsibility  resting  upon  mo,  not   so   much   in   supporting 
them,  as  in.  training  them  up  for  usefulness  and  future   hap 
piness.       When  I  think  of  my  lonely  and  helpless  condition, 
I  can  but  remember  the  many  widows,  made  such  by  this 


568  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

terrible  war,  who  Lave   never  been  used  to   work,  and  aro 
dependent  on  their  own  exertions  for  support.' 

"  Iii  visiting'  one  of  tho  many  houses  in  Winchester,  over 
whoso  floors  the  wounded  wero  strewn,  the  morning  after 
they  arrived  from,  tho  front,  I  found,  in  a  little  up-stoirs 
room,  Sergeant  Colby,  of  the  Thirty-fourth  Massachusetts 
regiment,  wounded  in  the  ankle.  IIo  looked  dispirited, 
and  wo  brought  him  reading,  paper,  and  pencils,  leaving 
him  some  delicacy  daily.  Ho  whiled  away  some  hours  ex 
ecuting  two  beautiful  drawings,  now  in  tho  keeping  of  his 
bereaved  mother,  0110  a  female  figure  of  Hope,  with  uplifted 
finger,  and  an  anchor  grasped  in  a  firm  hand ;  tho  other  a 
soldier,  pacing  his  weary  rounds  as  a  sentinel  in  a  heavy 
snow-storm.  "When  I  found  him  after  his  removal  to  tho 
field  hospital,  I  was  startled  by  tho  frightful  rapidity  with, 
•which  death  had  done  hia  work.  e  Write  something  cheer 
ing,'  ho  fcobly  murmured,  as  a  fow  lines  wero  pencilled  to 
his  mother.  It  was  no  commou  offering*  that  this  Christian 
mother  laid  upon  the  altar  of  her  country.  WV*  can  ill  sparo 
such  mcix  as  James  Colby.  I  have  never  read  moro  touch 
ing  letters  than  those  written  while  he  was  in  the  army. 
They  breathe  tho  fervent,  earnest  spirit  of  a  devoted  Chris 
tian,  and  a  warmly  affectionate  and  patriotic  heart.  It 
makes  one  shudder  to  think  what  our  condition  would  havo 
been,  had  not  tho  blood  of  tens  of  thousands  of  dearly 
loved  sons  and  fathers  been  thus  poured  out.  His  mother, 
who  has  a  crippled  son  at  home,  and  has  lately  buried  two 
lovely  daughters,  says,  *  His  plastic  nature  answered  my 
fondest  hopes.  Not  only  did  he  grow  in  all  manly  virtues, 
but  God  set  his  seal.  James  gave  his  heart  to  the  Saviour  ero 


MISS    JANE    BOSWEJLX,    MOOUE.  569 

he  entered  the  service  of  his  country.  Ho  writes  just  after 
battle,  "I  had  no  fear,  for  I  knew  that  God  was  with  me  I  " 
There  was  no  need  that  he  should  make  his  profession  of 
faith  when  he  came  upon  his  death-bed.  His  work  was 
done  —  ho  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  dio  I  Years  ago  I 
longed  and  prayed  that  I  might  be  permitted  to  do  something 
for  t/te  poor  slave.  JBy  terrible  tilings  in  rigJtteousness  have 
I  been  answered.  Yet  I  often  rejoice,  even  exalt ,  that  Jfa/n 
permitted  to  suffer,  to  -weep  witJi  tJiose  who  have  wept  tears 
more  agonizing  than  minef*  Such  is  the  spirit  of  one  of 
the  many  American  women  to  whoso  sacrifices  our  country 
owes  its  life.  Their  full  reward  cannot  possibly  be  here. 

"Riding  out  to  regiments  near  Richmond,  I  met  soldiers 
with  knapsacks,  lately  mustered  out,  and  on  their  way  to 
Richmond  to  take  the  boat  for  homo.  One,  to  whom  I 
gave  the  '  Christian  Banner '  for  his  child,  said,  with  tears 
in  his  eyes,  '  I'll  not  forget  what  a  comfort  your  things  have 
been  to  me.  Many  a  time  I've  written  homo  on  the  paper 
you  gave  mo,  when  I  hadn't  a  cent  to  buy  any  with.'  My 
eyes  filled.  Truly  this  pay  was  very  sweet ! 

**  Tho  war,  with  its  opportunities  of  usefulness,  has  indeed 
passed  away,  but  the  work  will  never  bo  dono  while  a 
maimed  or  crippled  soldier  remains  in  our  land.  J\.nd  the 
widow  and  orpltan —  are  they  not  witli  us?" 

Referring  to  this  long  series  of  exposures  and  exertions, 
Miss  Moore  says,  "  We  drew  liberal  supplies  from  both 
Sanitary  and  Christian  Commissions,  as  well  as  largely  from 
individuals,  but  have  ourselves  belonged  to  110  association, 
and  received  no  compensation  from  any  quarter.  None  of 
our  expenses  were  defrayed,  except  in  tho  matter  of 


570  WOMEN    OF   THE 

government  passes.  As  southern  women  who  had  no 
relatives  to  give  to  the  cause,  we  have  endeavored  to  bo 
behind  none  in  our  devotion." 

In  not  a  few  instances  Miss  Moore  was  engaged  in  tho 
hazardous  work  of  ministering  to  the  wounded  even  before 
they  \voro  removed  from  the  battle-field.  She  has  braved 
danger  of  every  kind  short  of  actual  presence  in  a  battle,  in. 
relieving  tho  sufferings  of  our  "wounded  braves. 

General  Emory  says  of  her  and  her  mother,  "  Tho  names 
of  Miss  and  Mrs.  Moore  are  on  the  lips  of  thousands  to 
whom  they  have  ministered  in  camp  and  hospital."  General 
Grant  also  testifies  to  their  remarkablo  use  fulness.  Tho 
health  of  Miss  Moore  has  been  seriously  impaired  by  tho 
hardships  she  has  suffered,  and  by  the  agitations  of  thoso 
four  years  of  unremitting  military  service.  But  aro  not 
such  sacrifices  of  ease  and  health  balanced,  and  moro  than 
compensated,  by  the  consciousness  of  having  discharged, 
to  the  utmost  degree  of  her  ability,  tho  duty  of  a  patriot, 
and  by  the  affection  and  gratitude  of  thousands  ready  to 
perish  to  whom  sho  brought  such  timely  succor? 


WHAT    SANITARY    LABORERS    HAVE 
ACCOMPLISHED. 

THE  question  of  the  right  of  a  state  to  secede,  and  of 
shivery  to  moko  itself  perpetual,  though  on  tho  ruins 
of  tho  Republic,  were  not  tho  solo  issues  that  our  war  has 
submitted  to  tho  arbitrament  of  the  sword. 

Up  to  tho  year  I860  —  we  may  say  till  the  year  1865 
—  European  monarchists,  while  admitting  tho  efficiency  of 
tho  Great  Republic  as  against  foreign  enemies,  professed  a 
doubt  as  to  its  ability  to  outlive  the  assaults  of  an  intestine 
foe.  That  question  is  now  and  forever  put  at  rest. 

No  one  circumstance  or  fact  has  dono  more  to  establish 
this  great  result  than  the  vast,  tho  untiring,  and  the  sys 
tematic  contributions  which  the  American  people,  of  their 
own  free  will,  and  with  cheerful  alacrity,  made  to  sustain 
the  soldier  in  tho  field,  and  tho  widows  and  orphans  of 
those  who  fell.  Tho  history  of  tho  world  had  seen  nothing 
like  it  before.  It  marks  an  epoch  in  civilized  warfare.  It 
has  shown,  as  nothing  else  could,  the  intense  patriotism  of 
our  people.  It  proves  that  though  the  constitution  is  but 
an  abstract  and  intellectual  statement  of  our  views  of  gov 
ernment,  that  parchment  is  as  dear  to  the  American  heart 
as  the  person  and  living  presence  of  any  king  ever  was  to 
the  most  enthusiastic  loyalist. 

(571) 


572  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAK. 

The  generation  to  whom  the  giant  questions  of  18G1 
were  submitted  was  essentially  and  thoroughly  peaceful. 
The  Mexican  war  was  remote  and  unimportant.  It  was 
not  waged  to  avenge  a  great  wrong,  or  vindicate  a  great 
principle,  and  therefore  it  never  laid  hold  upon  tho  hearts 
of  tho  people ;  it  never  roused  tho  enthusiasm,  of  tho 
masses. 

It  had  been  almost  fifty  years  since  tho  blood  in  Ameri 
can  veins  had  been  thrilled  by  the  war-trumpet,  pouring  its 
stern  and  stirring  notes  across  tho  continent,  and  calling 
the  nation  to  the  defence  of  everything  worth  living  for 
and  worth  dying  for. 

And  when  that  summons  came,  how  promptly  and  he 
roically  waa  it  answered  !  The  entire  nation,  as  by  a  com 
mon  and  simultaneous  impulse,  resolved  itself  into  a 
committee  of  the  whole,  to  vindicate  the  national  unity 
and  save  tho  national  life.  Twenty  millions  of  people 
divided  themselves  into  two  grand  classes  —  thoao  who 
shouldered  tho  musket  and  marched  to  fight  tho  great 
battles  of  tho  issue,  and  those-  who,  by  reason  of  their  ago 
or  sex,  or  those  immediately  dependent  on  their  indus 
try,  could  not  fight,  but  who  commenced  at  once  to  do  all 
in  their  power  to  provide  for,  to  sustain,  to  cheer,  to  en 
courage  tho  soldiers  in  active  service. 

Tho  question  is  unimportant  as  to  which  city  or  which 
state  was  tho  first  to  organize  those  societies  for  soldiers' 
relief  which  were  eventually  merged  and  comprehended  in 
the  great  national  systems  of  beneficence  known  as  the 
Sanitary  and  the  Christian  Commissions.  Those  noble, 
self-sacrificing,  and  far-reaching  organizations  were  the 


WHAT    SANITAIir    LABORERS    HAVE    ACCOMPLISHED.        573 

natural  growth  aud  the  logical  development  of  a  desire  com 
mon  to  ten  thousand  hearts.  Large  credit  may  ho  duo  to 
this  or  that  organising  hrain  for  the  skill  with  which  the 
popular  zeal  was  utilized,  and  made  to  hear  uniformly  and 
with  success  upon  the  sufferings  created  hy  war ;  hut  the 
popular  zeal,  tho  devotion  and  self-sacrifice,  were  kindled 
hy  no  eloquence,  they  were  manufactured  hy  no  daily  press, 
they  emanated  Jroin  no  metropolitan  centre.  Even  hefore 
one  hostile  gun  had  been  fired,  and  while  the  national  flag 
was  still  afloat,  without  challenge  or  insult  over  tho  de 
fences  of  Charleston  harbor,  hero  and  there  busy  hands, 
prompted  hy  saddened  hearts,  were  scraping  lint  and  roll 
ing  bandages  —  the  first  fruits  of  woman's  thoughtfulucss 
and  woman's  love.  In  April,  1801,  it  was  known  that  war 
must  bo  ;  how  vast,  how  long,  or  how  bloody,  was  known 
only  to  tho  Creator  of  the  universe. 

Cleveland,  probably,  can  claim  tho  honor  of  calling  tho 
first  public  meeting  with  the  view  of  organizing  a  Soldiers' 
Aid  Society.  This  was  fivo  days  after  tho  fall  of  Sumtcr. 
Six  days  later,  on  tho  25th  of  April,  a  company  of  women 
assembled  at  tho  Cooper  Institute,  in  Now  York,  and  or 
ganized  themselves  into  what  was  so  long  known  as  the 
"Woman's  Central  Relief  Association  of  Now  York."  Miss 
Louisa  Leo  Schuyler  became  the  president  of  this  organ 
ization,  and  prepared  tho  circular,  which  was  sent  out  over 
all  tho  land,  as  an  appeal  to  tho  women  of  tho  country, 
already  engaged  in  preparing  against  tho  tiino  of  wounds 
and  sickness.  For  week  after  week,  till  tho  eventful 
months  became  years  big  with  tho  records  of  a  nation's 
sacrifice,  did  this  accomplished  and  energetic  young jvvoman 


574:  WOMEN    OF    TIXE    WAtt. 

devote  herself  to  the  -wide  field  of  home  labor  which,  the 
presidency  of  this  association  opened  for  her.  It  was  iii  a 
great  measure  duo  to  the  breadth,  tho  wisdom  and  practical 
efficiency  of  her  plans,  that  the  organization  expanded, 
taking"  on  a  form  worthy  of  tho  great  metropolis  where  it 
originated,  and  became  the  United  States  Sanitary  Com 
mission.  Early  in  the  summer  of  1861,  Miss  Schuyler  and 
tho  ladies  whom  she  represented  felt  that  there  was  wanting 
a  system  to  act  for  the  soldier  with  tho  government,  and  in 
harmony  with  the  established  modes  of  sanitary  relief.  To 
accomplish  this,  an  address  was  mado  to  tho  Secretary  of 
War,  by  tho  "Woman's  Central  Relief  Association,  tho  ad 
vising  committee  of  the  Board  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
of  tho  hospitals  of  !N~exv  York,  and  the  JSTow  York  Medical 
Association,  for  furnishing  hospital  supplies. 

After  some  natural  delay  and  hesitation,  not  without 
some  opposition  from  red-tapo  routinists,  it  was  established 
under  tho  authority,  but  not  at  tho  expense,  of  tha  govern 
ment,  on  the  9th  of  June,  1861,  and  went  into  immediate 
operation. 

The  general  ideas  which  it  strove  to  carry  into  effect, 
and  upou  which  ita  great  usefulness  was  based,  were  as 
follows  :  — 

1,  The  system  of  sanitary  relief  established  by  the  army 
regulations  to  bo  taken  as  the  best,  and  the   Sanitary   Com 
mission  is  to  acquaint  itself  fully,  and  see  that  all  its  agents 
are  familiar,  with  tho  plans,  methods  of  care  and  relief,  of 
tho  regular  system. 

2.  The    Commission   should  direct   its  efforts    mainly  to 
strengthening  tho  regular  system  in   every  practicable  way, 


WHAT    SANITARY    LABOUBSS    HAVU    ACCOMPLISHED.         575 

and  securing  tho  favor  and  cooperation  of  tho  Medical  Bu 
reau,  so  as  to  win  a  cheerful  and  unobstructed  pathway  for 
the  mercy  and  charities  of  a  great  and  loyal  people,  in  their 
desire  to  sustain  the  soldier  in  tho  field. 

3.  Tho  Commission  should  know  nothing  of  religious 
differences  or  state  distinctions,  distributing  without  regard 
to  tho  place  whore  troops  wore  enlisted,  in  a  purely  Federal 
and  national  spirit. 

With  those  cardinal,  and,  as  it  wore,  coustitutional  pro 
visions,  tho  Sanitary  Commission  in  tho  summer  of  18C1 
completed  its  organization.  It  constituted,  when,  in  opera 
tion,  a  colossal  network  of  charity,  a  system  of  beneficence 
as  broad  as  tho  theatre  of  tho  war,  ail  aqueduct  of  conti 
nental  proportions,  with  complicated  yet  smooth  running 
appliances,  whose  blessed  function  it  was  to  bring  to  tho 
teut,  and  to  the  hospital  of  tho  weary,  tho  sick,  tho  bleed 
ing,  or  tho  ragged  soldier,  that  moral  and  material  comfort 
and  sympathy,  which  had  their  origin  in  thousands  of 
distant  villages,  by  ten  thousand  solitary  hearth-stones. 

It  is  somewhat  remarkable,  that  while  the  volunteering 
enthusiasm  of  tho  Northern  States  died  out  in.  th&  first  year 
of  tho  war,  so  that  drafting,  and  at  length  large  bounties, 
were  necessary  to  keep  up  tho  armies  in  the  field,  tho  liber 
ality  and  self-sacrifices  of  the  loyal  women  of  thoNorth  con 
tinually  increased,  so  that,  after  tho  rage  and  desolation  of 
three  years  of  warfare,  it  was  as  easy  to  raise  a  hundred 
thousand  dollars  for  tho  soldier  as  it  had  been  to  collect  ten 
thousand  for  tho  same  objects  in  1861. 

No  feature  of  tho  war  was  more  extraordinary  than  that  se 
ries  of  Sanitary  Fairs  that  were  so  wonderfully  successful  in 


576  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

I 

producing  abundant  supplies  for  the  Commission  in  tlio  years 
1863  and  1864.  For  more  than  two  years  the  appeals  for 
money  had  been  made  to  be  pafd  directly,  and  on  principle, 
for  the  benefit  of  the  soldier,  and  the  returns  thus  realized t 
though  small  in  detail,  gave  a  magnificent  amount  in  tho 
sum  total.  More  than  seven  millions  had  been  sent  from 
tho  people  to  tho  soldiers,  through  tho  agency  of  the  Sani 
tary  Commission,  before  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  and  tho 
fall  of  Vicksburg.  Chicago  was  the  first  of  the  great  met 
ropolitan  cities  to  begin  this  splendid  series.  She  was  tho 
pioneer  in  these  enterprises,  and  though  tho  year  following 
she  was  surpassed  by  St.  Louis,  and  by  Pittsburg  and 
Philadelphia  and  others,  yet,  considering  that  all  they  did 
was  to  use  to  a  broader  extent,  and  under  a  warmer  popular 
enthusiasm  and  rivalry,  the  machinery  first  brought  into 
use  there,  Chicago  deserves  all  praiso  for  tho  incentive  of 
her  brilliant  example. 

Mrs.  Hoge  and  Mrs.  Livormoro,  ladies  who  devoted 
themselves  throughout  tho  war  to  every  loyal  word  and 
work,  and  every  good'dced  by  which  the  .soldier  could  bo 
cheorcd  and  sustained,  entered  upon  this  enterprise  with  a 
zeal  and  a  largeness  of  heart  and  comprehensiveness  of 
plan  which  were  worthy  aliko  of  tho  magnificent  region  in 
which  they  operated,  and  of  tho  heroic  army  for  which  they 
labored.  None  of  tho  great  fairs  was  so  entirely  tho  offer 
ing  of  tho  gentle  hands  and  puro  hearts  of  patriotic  women 
as  this  at  Chicago. 

Their  executive  committee  covered  the  whole  North-west 
from  Detroit  westward  to  the  cities  of  Iowa,  and  northward 
to  St.  Paul.  And  yet,  so  little  accustomed  wero  the  people 


WHAT  SAJOTAmr   LABORERS  HAVE  ACCoairmsirED.      577 

to  the  princely  munificence  of  Later  months,  that  they. would 
havo  thought  their  success  brilliant  if  they  could  have  been 
certain  of  realizing  twenty-five  thousand  dollars.  Their 
returns  were  fur  beyond  this  modest  estimate,  and  they 
wore  enabled,  at  the  termination  of  their  labors,  to  pay 
over-  to  tho  Sanitary  Commission  moro  than  three  times 
twenty-five  thousand  as  the  net  profits  of  tho  Chicago  Fair. 
Cincinnati  was  tho  next  of  the  western  cities  to  follow 
in  tho  path  that  had  been  blazed  out  by  the  vigor  and  loyal 
enterprise  of  her  sister  emporium.  Here,  too,  woman  waa 
tho  first  to  suggest,  and  tho  most  efficient  and  unwearied  in 
tho  labors  that  ensued. 

Tho  first  step  taken  in  the  originating  of  tho  groat  west 
ern  Sanitary  Fair  was  tho  following  appeal  from  tho  pen  of 
Mrs.  Elizabeth.  Mendenhall,  which  appeared  in  tho  Cincin 
nati  Times  of  October  31,  1863,  and  a  day  or  two  after 
wards  in  most  of  tho  daily  prints  of  that  city  :  — ^ 

w  Editor  Times  ;  I  wish  to  call  the  attention  of  tho  pa 
triotic  ladies  of  Cincinnati  to  tho  fair  that  is  now  progress 
ing  in  Chicago  for  tho  benefit  of  the  soldiers,  and  which  is 
realizing  a  handsome  sum  of  money.  Taking  into  consid 
eration  the  fact  that  the  winter  is  fast  approaching,  and  that 
tho  soldiers  will  stand  in  need  of  much  assistance,  would, 
it  not  be  well  for  our  Cincinnati  ladies  to  rouse  themselves 
in  the  same*  cause,  and  in  the  same  way?  We  should  not 
let  Chicago,  or  any  other  place,  be  in  advance  of  us  in  our 
efforts.  I  know  we  have  ladies  here  who  are  devoted 
friends  of  the  soldiers,  and  now  is  the  time  for  them*  to  be 
up  and  doing." 

In  two  weeks  from  the  publication  of  this-  suggestion,  a. 
37 


578 


WOMEN    OF    THE    WAK. 


public  meeting  was  called,  and  very  largely  attended,  at 
which  managers  of  both  sexes  were  appointed,  -who  pro 
ceeded  at  oiico  to  organize,  on  a  scale  of  greater  magnitude, 
and  to  embrace  a  greater  number  of  interests  and  classes 
in  the  communitj',  than  any  charitable  enterprise  that  had 
ever  been  set  on  foot  in  America. 

If  the  honor  of  the  original :  conception  of  a  magnificen^ 
fair  belongs  to  Mrs.  tlpge  and  her  co-laborers  at  Chicago, 
Mrs.  Mcnclenhall  and  her  assistants  at  Cincinnati  are  en 
titled  to  the  credit  of  carrying  into  execution  tho  truo  plan 
upon  which  such  enterprises  should  bo  conducted.  They 
saw  that,  in  order  to  obtain  a  complete  success,  tho  effort 
must  be  general,  appealing  to  all  classes;  calling  tho  farmer 
from  his  golden  harvest-field  to  come  and  bring  with  him 
the  first  fruits  of  tho  earth,  as  a  free-will  offering  on  the 
altar  of  his  country,  appealing  to  tho  artisan  to  give  from 
his  workshop  his  most  cunning  and  elaborate  handicraft. 
Tho  soldier,  also,  could  send .  from  battle-fields  that  are 
now  famous  in  history  his  trophies  and  his  flags,  his  relics 
and  his  mementos.  Tho  jnen  of  position. and  genius,  who, 
by  their  pens  or  .tengues,  had  won  national  repute,  could 
advance  the  cause  by  furnishing  their  autographic  poems, 
or  other  articles  of  literary  value.  Upon  this  comprehen 
sive  plan  the  organization  was  effected,  and  rarely  has 
machinery  so  complicated  been  adjusted  wijth  greater  skill, 
or  worked  in  harmony  moro  admirable.  Enlarging  thus 
amply  tho  original  idea  of  Chicago,  tho  cxoctitivo  com- 
mitteo^of  Cincinnati  proposed  to  raise  two  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars — just  ten  times  tho  sum  proposed  at  Chi 
cago  ;  and  tho  result  showed  that  tho  liberality  of  the 


WHAT    SANITARY    LABORERS    HAVE    ACCOMPLISHED.        570 

people,  \vhen  appealed  to  in  the  rannner  suggested,  bad  not 
been  over-estimated.  Tbe  Cincinnati  Fair  was  in.  all  its 
features,  and  in  its  returns,  a  magnificent  success.  It  was 
the  true  beginning  of  those  noblo  enterprises  that  after 
wards  astonished  Europe,  and  by  "whoso  operation  over  five 
millions  of  dollars  were,  in  a  little  more  than  a  twelve 
month,  contributed  to  promote  the  sanitary  condition  of  the 
armies  in  the:  field. 

The  Christian  Commission,  as  woll  as  its  predecessor  and 
co-laborer,  owes  Jts  efficiency  mainly  to  tho  zeal,  tho'  pa 
tience,  and  tho  generosity  with  which  ifc  was  sustained  by 
tho  loyal  Indies  of  tho  country.  .  ..  * 

Organized  in  November,  1861,  at  first  as  a  Christian 
enterprise  for  evangelical  labors  among  tho  soldiers,  its 
operations  became  each  year  more 'and  moro  sanitary  in 
their  character.  It  was  found  that  to  feed  the  hungry,  to 
clothe  tho  naked,  and  to  bind  up  the' wounds  of  battle,  were 
tho  surest  way  of  reaching  tho  heart  of  tho  soldier  for 
spiritual  suggestions.  • 

The  system  of  special  diet  kitchens,  that  in.  tho  latter 
part  of  tho  war  was  extended  so  as  to  reach  every  corps, 
every  division,  and  often  every  brigade  in  tho  whole  army, 
was  especially  the  product  of  the  organized  benevolence  of 
tho  Christian  Commission.  'Mis.  Anno  "VVittenmeycr  had 
this  work  under  her  special  superintendence,  with  Miss 
Mary  Shclton  and  Miss  Goodale  for  assistants.  It  pro 
posed,  to  supply,  to  tho  sickest  in  each  hospital  food  as 
nearly  resembling  as  possible  that  which  his  mother  and 
sisters  would  have  furnished  him  at  homo.  It  was  a  gospel 
of  suitable  and  delicate  food,  administered  with  Christian 


580  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAR. 

kindness  and  "  in  the  name  of  a  disciple,"  the  effect  of 
which  in.  relieving  suffering  and  saving  life  is  alike  beyond 
estimation  ana  above  praise. 

In  the,  third  year  of  the  war,  Ladies'  Christian  Commis 
sions  were  organized,  and  went  into  operation  so  as  speedily 
to  assume  a  tangible  form  and  give  practical  results.  In 
18G5,  there  were  in  all  two  hundred  and  sixty-six  branch 
or  auxiliary  societies  in  various  parts  of  the  laud,  mostly 
connected  "with  the  evangelical  churches.  There  were 
eighty  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia  alone,  and  the  aggregate 
receipts  from  all  at  the  end  of  the  war  were  found  to  be 
considerably  over  two  hundred  thousand  dollars. 

In  their  closing  report,  made  January  1,  1866,  the 
officers  express  their  acknowledgments  for  the  aid  furnished 
by  patriotic  women  :  "  They  have  fed  the  flame  of  piety  and 
patriotism  in  our  homes,  through  heavy  hours,  for  successive 
years,  and  with  busy  fingers  and  devices  of  love  have  kept 
the  hands  of  our  agents  and  delegates  in  the  field  full  of 
comforts  for  suffering  patriots.  To  them,  under  God,  tho 
Commission,  owes  its  success.  TVro  only  anticipate  tho  ver 
dict  of  tho  future  when  wo  say  that  thus  far  in  human 
history  such  work  is  exclusively  theirs  —  a  work  that  could 
have  been  wrought  only  by  praying  wives,  and  mothers,  and 
sinters,  in  behalf  of  an  imperilled  country." 

Though  the  amounts  in  cash  furnished  for  sanitary  pur 
poses  came  mainiy  through  these  great  fairs,  contributions 
from  other  sources  and  in  other  material  did  as  much,  and, 
in  many  cases,  more  t.hnr^  money  for  the  substantial  well 
being  of  tho  volunteer. 

Soldiers'  Aid  Societies  were  formed  in  almost  every  large 


WHAT    SANITARY"    I*ABOREHS    HAVE    ACCOMPLISHED.       581 

town  throughout  tho  Northern  States.  In  the  so,  ladies  as 
sembled  weekly ,  and  sometimes  more  frequently  ;  sometimes 
at  tho  publio  rooms  of  the  association,  but  oftouer  at  private 
houses ;  and  made  clothing  for  the  soldiers.  These  gar 
ments,  together  with  various  articles  of  food,  such  ns 
pickles,  dried  fruit,  jellies,  and  wino,  were  securely  packed, 
and  sent  to  tho  nearest  large  city  whore  tho  Sanitary  and 
Christian  Commissions  had  depots  of  supply.  No  compu 
tation  has  been  made,  and  none  can  be,  of  tho  entire 
amount  and  value  of  articles  thus  furnished. 

As  a  specimen  wo  may  take  tho  State  of  Wisconsin,  where 
there  is  no  metropolitan  city,  and  which  hold  no  great  sani 
tary  fair.  In  her  final  report,  Mrs.  Joseph  S.  Colt,  of 
Milwaukee,  corresponding  secretary  of  tho  Wisconsin  Sol 
diers'  Aid  Society,  a  most  admirable  and  praiseworthy*  home 
laborer,  says,  "  Wo  present  our  last  report  with  devout 
thankfulness,  not  unmixed  with  a  degree  of  pride  iu  our 
state.  Wo  are  thankful  that  tho  war  is  over,  tho  republic 
saved,  human  freedom  established  over. tho  whole  land. 
Wo  are  proud  that  Wisconsin,  without  tho  excitement  of  a 
fair,  and  remote  from  the  seat  of  war,  has  done  her  part  so 
V^oll. 

"  Gifts  to  tho  amount  of  two  hundred  thousand  dollars  ; 
packages  numbering  six  thousand  ;  bureaus  whoso  success 
has  been  unexampled  ;  a  society  for  forwarding  supplies  ;  u 
bureau  for  getting  state  pay  for  tho  families  of  soldiers  ; 
another  for  securing1  pensions  and  arrears  ;  another  for  ob 
taining  employment  for  the  wives  and  mothers  of  volunteers 
through  government  contracts  ;  still  another  for  securing 
work  for  those  partially  disabled  in  the  war;  still  another 


582  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAB. 

for  supplying  the  wants  of  those  who  have  been  perma 
nently  crippled  in  the  service,  and  thrown  upon  wives  and 
mothers  for  support,  —  these,  and  more,  havo  been  our 
work." 

The  Chicago  branch  of  the  Sanitary  Commission  had  one 
thousand  Aid  Societies  constantly  sending  in  money  and 
material,  by  which  its  treasury  was  kopt  full,  and  its  shelves 
loaded.  Five  hundred  societies  unifcod  ia  supporting  tho 
Cleveland  and  the  Cincinnati  branches.  Tho  memorable 
services  rendered  by  Mrs.  Hogo  and  Mrs.  Livermore  in  the 
extreme  North-west,  and  by  Mrs."  Meudcnhall  and  Mrs. 
Hoadley  at  Cincinnati,  nro  elsewhere  described. 

At  Cleveland,  also,  these  magnificent  results  "were  almost 
wholly  the  work  of  women.  Mrs.  Rouse,  president  of  the 
Cleveland  branch,  is  a  lady  who  unites  the  charity  of  the 
Christian  to  the  force  and  judgment  of  a  woman  of  tho 
world.  A  descendant  of  Oliver  Cromwell,  sho  has  proved 
herself  not  unworthy  of.  the  heroic  blood  of  those  splendid 
old  Puritans  who  brought  to  civil  and  military  affairs  a  cool 
ness  of  judgment  and  an  immutability  of  purpose  which 
some  writers  have  thought  inconsistent  with  their  religious 
zeul,  but  which  were,  in  fact,  the  necessary  effects  of  it. 
For  more  than  forty  years  she  has  been  at  the  head  of  every 
philanthropic  enterprise  in  that  city,  and  her  advanced 
years  and  delicate  health  did  nofc  prevent  her  from  acting  a 
truly  noble  part  in  this,  the  most  magnificent  of  all  modern 
charities. 

Mrs.  Rouse  was  very  effectively  sustained  by  her  secre 
tary,  Miss  M.  C.  Brayton,  a  young  lady  of  fine  capabili 
ties  and  acquirements,  of  easy  fortune,  and  superior  busi- 


WHAT    SANITARY    LABORERS    HAVE    ACCOMPLISHED.       583 

ness  faculties.  She  was  for  .  Cleveland  what  Louisa  Lee 
Schuyler  waa  for  the  parent  society  in  New  York.  Miss 
Ellen  Terry,  the  treasurer,  with  an  admirable  turn  for 
affairs,  kept  the  books,  and  handled  the  finances  of  a  busi 
ness  that  amounted  to  more  than,  a  million  cf  dollars,  with 
skill  that  would  havo  done  credit  to  the  largest  of  mercantile 
houses.  . 

Detroit*  ulao>  was  VL  large  contributor  to  tho  sanitary 
stores.  Hero,  as  at  Cleveland,  tho  work  was  mainly  per 
formed  by  fair  hauda.  Miss  Valeria  Campbell  and  Mrs* 
Adams,  Mrs.  Brent,  Mrs.  SabLno,  and  Mrs.  Luther  B.  Wil- 
lard,  were  incessant  in  their  exertions  throughout  tho  re 
bellion.  Mrs.  IIuzz  and  her  two  daughters,  Susan  and 
Ella,  devoted  much  of  their,  time  to  the  cause.  .  : 

Tho  case  of  another  admirable,  friend  of  the  soldier  in 
Detroit,  and  tho  circumstances  of  her  death,  so  sudden  and 
appalling1,  are  such  as  to  require  special  mention.  Miss 
Mary.  Dunn,  a  young  .lady  of  about  twenty  summers,  en 
dowed  with  ev.ery  Christian  and  every  female  grace,  beloved 
by  all  who  know  her,  wnile  in  tho  act  of  bearing  food  to 
some  sick  soldiers  at  the.  barracks,  where  she  was  a  fre 
quent  visitor,  was  killed  instantly  on  tho  street  by  a  stroke 
of  lightning.  At  the  very  hour  this  occurred,  her  two 
brothers  were  in  a  distant  part,  of  tho  country,  in  tho  midst 
of  a  hard  battle  with"  the  Southern  foe.  The  soldiers  were 
BO  affected  by  the  peculiar  death  of  Miss  Dunn,  and  so 
warm  in  their  admiration  of  her  virtues,  that  thoy  turned 
out  to  a  man,  and  buried  her  remains  with  full  military 
honors. 

Aside  from  hejr  activity  in  Detroit,  which  lasted  during 


I 

584:  WOMEN"    OF    THE    WAB. 

the  war,  and  was  wholly  gratuitous,  Mrs.  Willard  went  to 
Chattanooga  as  a  volunteer  nurse  ;  but  severe  and  lengthened 
illness  cut  short  her  service  in  the  field. 

At  Buffalo  the  head  centre  of  sanitary  charities  was  Mrs. 
Horatio  Seymour  ;  and  her  aids  were  Miss  Grace  Bird  and 
Miss  B.ibcock.  Tho  contributions  made  through  these 
ladies  wero  very  largo,  a  great  number  of  packages  having 
been,  sent  directly  to  agents  at  the  front.  Mrs.  Price,  who 
represented  this  society  at  the  Naval  School  Hospital,  was 
constantly  supplied  with  clothing  and  comforts  of  all  kinds 
for  distribution  there  and  at  City  Point,  where  she  After- 
wards  went. 

In  concluding  her  report,  Mrs.  Seymour  illustrates  the 
spirit  in  which  the  contributions  from  "Western  New  York 
were  made  by  tho  following  instances  and  figures  :  "  We 
cannot  shut  out  from  our  memories  the  scones  which  will 
Jilways  hallow  these  rooms  to  us  —  the  sister,  whoso  brother 
had  gone  out  in  his  country's  defence,  coming  to  us  one 
bleak,  cold  day,  having  rodo  twelve  miles  in  a  stago  with 
her  two  little  children,  to  ask  for  shirts  to  make  up  for  tho 
soldiers.  Sho  was  poor,  had  no  money  to  givo,  but  with 
tearfiil  eyes  said  she  must  do  something  for  the  boys. 

**Nor  can  we  forget  the  old,  true-hearted,  patriotic  fann 
er,  who  drove  to  tho  door,  one  of  the  severest  days  in 
November  lost,  with  a  load  of  potatoes,  which  'wife  and  I* 
had  dug,  and  wished  there  were  ten  times  as  many  for  the 
boys. 

w  We  have  sent  nearly  three  thousand  packages  to  Louis 
ville,  and  six  hundred  and  twenty-five  to  New  York.  We 
have  cut  and  provided  materials,  at  our  .rooms,  for  over 


WIIAT    SANITARY    LABORERS    HAVE    ACCOMTXJSIIED.       585 

twenty  thousand  shirts  and  other  articles  for  the  army, 
amounting  in  all  to  more  than  two  hundred  thousand  pieces. 
Little  children,  mostly  girls  under  twelve  years  of  age,  have 
given  us  over  twenty-five  hundred  dollars." 

In  Philadelphia  the  threo  leading  societies  were  the 
**  Soldiers'  Aid,"  represented  in  the  'field  for  a  long1  time  by 
Mrs.  Brady  ;  the  "  Ladies'  Aid,"  whoso  secretary  was  Mrs. 
John  Harris,  and  tho  "Penn  Relief  Association."  Tho 
operations  of  tho  two  first  named  are  described  in  tho 
memoir  of  Mrs.  Brady,  and  tho  account  of  Mrs.  Harris's 
wonderful  activity  in  behalf  of  tho  soldier. 

Tho  Penn  Relief  dispensed  clothing  and  delicacies  to  the 
value  of  fifty  thousand  dollars.  Most  of  their  packages 
were  forwarded  directly  to  representatives  at  tho  front. 
Mrs.  Husband  received  a  great  amount  of  clothing,  of  a 
superior  quality  t  from  the  Penn  Relief.  Airs.  ITales,  of 
Washington,  Mrs.  Hetty  K.  Painter,  and  Miss  Anna  Curvorv 
all  drew  largely  from  tho  samo  source. 

Tho  Woman's  Central  Relief  Association  of  Now  York, 
throughout  tho  struggle,  represented  the  metropolis  of  the 
continent  in  tho  breadth  of  country  from  which  it  drew  its 
supplies,  tho  largeness  of  its  contributions,  the  admirable 
foresight,  comprehension,  and  energy,  with,  which  its  plans 
•were  laid  and  its  finances  handled.  Replenished  from  time 
to  time  by  prl/ato  contributions,  and  by  the  returns  of  tho 
groat  Sanitary  Fairs  of  Brooklyn  and  New  York  City,  its 
treasury  was  able  to  report  its  monthly  disbursements  by 
tens  of  thousands,  and  the  sum  total  of  its  income  by 
millions. 

Of    the    New    England    States,   Connecticut   and    Rhode 


586  WOMEN    OP    THE    WAB. 

Island  sent  their  contributions  mostly  to  New  York.  The 
New.  England  Women's  Auxiliary  Association  of  Boston, 
acting  for  Massachusetts  and  the  three  states  to  the  north 
ward,  represented  more  than  a  thousand  towns,  and 
furnished,  in  cash  and  various  garments  and  stores,  more 
than  the  value  of  three  hundred  and  fourteen  thousand  dol 
lars,  the  Music  Hall  Fair  alone  netting  about  a  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  dollars. 

Miss  Abby  "VY.  May,  of  Dorchester,  occupied  the  chair 
of  the  executive  committee  in  this  Association,  and  did  for 
Boston  what  Mrs.  Hoge  did  in  Chicago,  and  Mrs.  Seymour 
in  Buffalo. 

In  the  final  report  of  that  committee,  made  in  July,  18 G5, 
the  manner  in  which  every  class  in  tho  community,  and  all 
ages,  united  in  their  sympathies  for  the  soldier  in  tho  field, 
is  thus  sot  forth  :  "  From  the  representatives  of  the  United 
States  government  hero,  who  remitted  tho  duties  upon 
soldiers'  garments  sent  to  us  from  Nova  Scotia,  down  to  the 
little  child  diligently  sewing  with  tiny  fingers  upon  the 
soldiers'  comfortr-bag,  the  cooperation  has  been  almost  uni 
versal.  Churches  of  all  denominations  have  exerted  their 
influence  for  us  ;  many  schools  have  made  special  efforts  in 
our  behalf;  tho  directors  of  railroads,  express  companies, 
telegraphs,  and  newspapers,  gentlemen  of  the  business  firms 
with  which  we  have  dealt,  have  befriended  us  most  liberal 
ly  ;  while  private  individuals,  of  all  ages,  sexes,  colors, 
and  conditions,  have  aided  us  in  ways  that  we  cannot 
enumerate,  and  that  no  one  really,  knows  of  but  them 
selves."  : 

During  the  latter  part  of  the  "war,  tho  ladies  in  different 


WHAT    SANITARY    LABORERS    HAVE    ACCOMPLISHED.      587" 

points  over  the  land,  whore  several  railroads  converge, 
established  Soldiers'  Homes  and  Soldiers'  Rests,  where  the 
worn,  hungry,  ragged,  and  sick  soldier  could  pause, 
sometimes  only  a  few  moments  in  changing  trains,  and 
sometimes  days  or  weeks,  according  to  his.  condition,  havo 
his  various  wants  supplied,  and  be  sent  forward  to  his 
destination. 

In  Juno,  1865,  many  of  these  noblo  'institutions  were 
distributed  over  the  country,  from  Boston  to  New  Orleans. 
Tho  daily  scenes  \vithiu  them,  uncl  tho  manner  in  which. 
they  afforded  aid  and  comfort  to  tho  travelling  soldier,  can 
be  understood,  from  the  following  description  of  tho  Homo 
at  Columbus,  the  capital  of  Ohio,  written  by  an  army  officer 
in  tho  spring  of  1865  :  — 

"Plow  few  of  our  citizens  have  taken  the  pains  to  turn 
the  corner  of  the  Union  Depot  to  give  a  passing  look  at  the 
flourishing  Soldiers'  Homo,  stretching  its  white  length 
along  the  pier!  Tho  last  few  days  have  brought  an  unusual 
number  of  guests  to  its  door  —  on  Wednesday  one  hundred 
and  fifty,  and  on  Thursday  one  hundred  and  seventy,  more 
having  been  entertained  there. 

**  Eastern,  hospitals  are  in  process  of  depletion  to  make 
room  for  new  arrivals  from  Sherman's  army  of  those  who 
have  fallen,  by  the  "way  in  the  grand  march.  Convalescents 
they  call  the  so  weary  men,  who  hobble  on  crutches  about 
the.  door,  and  crowd  every  .available  space  within  the  Homo 
limits ;  yet  each  bears  his  marks  of  disease  or  wound, 
either  in  polo  face  or  feeble  gait,  in  useless  arm  or  crippled 
limb.  But  till  differences  in  individual  cases  are  merged  in 
the  ono  absorbing  interest  with  which  tho  still  closed 


5S8  WOMEN    OF   TUB    WAR. 

dining-room  door  is'  watohed.  Behind  that  protecting 
barrier  all  is  now  bustle  and  active  preparation,  and  under 
the  influence  of  quick  fingers  the  meal  is  in  readiness,  soon 
enough  for  the  patience  even  of  the  hungry  crowd  waiting 
beyond  the  door.  Now  the  word  is  given,  and  ha  troops 

tho  first  instalment  of  men,  very  slowly  and  feebly, not  as 

they  marched  away  with  Shorman,  —  for  thceo  muet  bo 
carefully  helped  to  their  places  at  tho  bountiful  table,  with 
crutches  stowed  away  in  close  proximity;  this  one  must 
have  some  kind  hand  to  supply  the  place  of  the  arm  now- 
hanging  useless  by  his  side,  and  another's  morbid  appetite 
craves  some  variation  from  tho  ordinary  faro.  Tho  gueste* 
names  must  bo  recorded  as  accurately  as  tho  warfare  of 
knives  and  forks  will  permit,  rough  government  crutches 
exchanged  for  tho  oomforta.bly-pajddod  ones  furnished  by  tho 
Sanitary  Commission,  und  many  little  deficiencies  in  cloth 
ing  noted  and  remedied,  while  the  mon.  do  justice  to  tho 
faro  before  them.  No  wonder  the  faces  brighten  under  the 
combined  influence  of  kind  words  and  good  cheer.  Did  tho 
maker  of  these  marvellous  cookies  realize  tho  exquisite  relish 
with  which  tb-3  appetite  of  a  convalescent  regards  them? 
These  vegetables  and  apple-butter,  with  which  some 
thoughtful  country  Aid  Society  has  furnished  the  Homo 
larder,  are  delicious  beyond  belief  to  mon  so  long  consigned 
to  salt  beef  and  hard  tack  ;  while  the  butter  and  soft  bread 
receive  such  special  attentions  that  re  enforcements  aro 
speedily  required.  A  low  hum  of  applause  and  approving 
comment  runs  round  the  tables;  one  and  another  says, 
audibly  enough  to  rejoice  the  attendant  ladies,  *  Well,  this 
looks  like  home  1 '  or, ( I  haven't  seen  anything  like  this  since 


WIIAT    SANITABIT    LABOIJERS    HAVE    ACCOMPLISHED.       589 

I  left  homo  I '  Many  pay  only  tho  compliments  of  full 
justice  to  the  meal,  while  here  and  there  one  summons  up 
courage  to  make  a  neat  little  speech  of  thanks  as  ho  rises 
from  the  table.  But  whether  silent  or  complimentary,  tho 
feeling  of  all,  wo  helieve,  is  expressed  in.  the  words  of  tho 
tail,  pale  sergeant,  who,  rising  with  difficulty"  on  his 
crutches,  says,  '  Ladies,  kind  friends  I  it  ia  worth  the  little 
wo  have  suffered  for  our  country  to  meet  such  a  worm  ro- 
coptioii  at  ho  ma.' 

w  Now  tho  room  is  finally  emptied  of  its  first  guests,  and 
the  tables  hastily  prepared  for  tho  second  instalment,  and 
then  for  a  third  and  fourth.  All  honor  to  the  worthy 
matron  that  her  larder  stands  bravely  such  repeated  attacks, 
and  her  coffee-boiler  stoutly  replies  to  all  drafts  made  upon 
it.  What  a  relief,  that  tho  last  poop  follow  who  lingered 
near  tho  table  has  fared  as  well  as  the  first  who  rushed 
eagerly  ia  to  tho  assault  I  The  samo  programme*  ia  re 
peated  on  each  occasion,  \vitli  variations  in  individual  cases. 
Ono  forevor-helplcaa  man.  ia  carried  in  the  arms  of  a  brother 
soldier,  that  he,  too,  may  have  tho  pleasure  of  sitting"  at  the 
table  with  the  rest ;  and  he  pulls  out  the  fatal  bullet  which 
*  ruined*  him,  as  he  says,  to  exhibit.  Meanwhile  there  are 
many  in  the  sleeping  ward  too  feeble  to  care  to  leave  its 
comfort,  whose  taste  must  be  consulted,  and  to  whom  food 
must  be  carried.  Here  one  mail's  wound  needs  dressing, 
another  asks  for  a  fresh  bandage  ;  here  a  slipper  is  wanted 
for  a  swollen  foot,  and  another  sickly  soldier  must  have 
some  strengthening  remedy  from  the  medicine-chest.  At 
lasfc  all  are  fed,  all  rested,  and  all  wants  attended  to  ;  the 
whistle  of  tho  train  ia  heard,  and  the  aoldiera  depart,  with 


59O  WOMJSN    OF    TELE    WAK. 

strength  enough  gained  to  carry  them  on  their  jour-nc}*, 
leaving  behind  them'  a  blessing  for  tho  Home.  But  their 
departure  brings  little  rest  to  the  Home  corps.  The  dSbria 
must  bo  removed,  and  fresh  preparations  made  foi-  tho 
arrival  of  tho  later  trains,  which  may  bring  as  many  more 
guests,  to  bo  entertained  again  and  lodged  over  night." 

On  the  first  day  of  May,  1861,  two  weeks  after  the  fall 
of  Sumter,  a  largo  number  of  Union  troops,  passing  through 
the  city  of  Philadelphia  on  their  way  to  the  national  capital, 
landed  at  the  foot  of  Washington  Avenue,  on  Delaware 
River.  While  here,  awaiting  transportation,  a  number  of 
ladies,  residing  iu  tho  immediate  vicinity,  spontaneously 
formed  themselves  into  a  committee,  and  with  tho  assist 
ance  of  tho  neighbors  generally,  distributed  among  these 
men  such  quantities  of  hot  coffee  as  could  be  prepared. 

These  ladies,  Mrs.  Wm.  M.  Cooper,  Mrs.  Sarah  Ewing, 
Mrs.  Grace  Nickles,  Mrs.  Catharine  and  Airs.  Elizabeth 
Vansdale,  Mrs.  Turner,  and  some  others,  formed  tho  nucleus 
of  the  Cooper  Shop  Volunteer  Refreshment  Committee. 

Near  by  tho  place  where  these  gallant  volunteers  received 
these  first  hospitalities  stood  an  old  cooper  shop.  Tho 
ladies  interested  their  husbands  in  tho  cause;  a  portion  of 
the  shop  was  partitioned,  and  so  arranged  that,  soldiers 
could  conveniently  partake  of  coffee  and  other  refreshments. 
From  that  time  till  the  summer  of  1865, -for  a  period  of 
four  years  and  two  months,  this .  saloon  was  constantly  sus 
tained  and  kept  in  activity,  by  the  patriotic  citizens  of 
Philadelphia  and  its  vicinity.  A.  hospital  "was .  established 
in  cor.aection  with  the  saloon,  through  the  untiring  exer- 


WTIAT    SANITARY    LABORERS    HAVE    ACCOMPLISHED.        591 

tions  of  Alias  Anna  M.  Ross  —  exertions  so  strenuous  as  in, 
tho  end  to  consume  her  vital  powers,  and  add  her  name  to 
tho  long  roll  of  martyrs  in  tho  good  cause.  The  whole 
number  of  8oldicra  furnished  with  substantial  mculs  at  tho 
saloon  was  about  throe  hundred  and  seventeen  thousand. 

A.  dispensary  of  medicines  was  connected  with  tho  cooper 
shop,  a  bathing-room,  and  aix  arrangement  for  supplying 
necessary  clothing. 

Thcgp  descriptions  of  tho  two,  which  are  taken  simply  aa 
specimens,  located  in  Columbus  and  at  Philadelphia  re 
spectively,  will  apply  to  the  Homes  at  JBuflulo,  Detroit, 
Washington,  Boston,  and  tho  various  other  points  where 
they  were  established. 

"With  thcso  facts,  tho  question  is  natural,  How  were  theso 
unequalled  largdnsos  disbursed  ?  and  what  was  tho  practical 
result  to  tho  sick,  tho  wounded,  or  tho  destitute  soldier,  of 
systems  of  relief  so  varied  and  so  copious  ? 

"Wo'havo"  in  answer  tho  testimony  of  0110  of  tho  ablest  of 
our  commanding  officers,  that  tho  two  most  effective  ways 
in  \vhich  our  armies  in  tho  field  wore  sustained- in  tho  long 
struggle,  were,  first,  by  tho  general  assurance  that  was  felt, 
that  neither  tho'  wives,  children,  parents,  nor  others  de 
pendent  on  those  in  tho  field,  would  suffer  for  the  neces 
saries  of  life,  while  their  supporters  were  in  tho  service  of 
tho  country;  second,  that  tho' sick  and  wounded  would  not 
lack  for  any  of  those  things,  which,  though  not  provided  by 
army  regulations,  might  conduce  to  comfort,  expedite 
recovery,  savo  the  lives,  and  sustain  tho  morale  of  tho 
soldier. 


592  WOMJBN    OP    THE    TVAB. 

Another  and  more  perfect  answer  may  bo  found  in  san 
itary  statistics.  Before  this  war  of  ours,  it  was  considered 
as  inevitable  that  for  every  soldier  killed  in  battle,  four 
must  die  of  disease.  In  the  Crimean,  war,  seven  eighths  of 
the  mortality  of  the  British  troops  during  the  entire  cam 
paign  was  due  to  disease,  and  one  eighth  only  to  deaths 
from  wounds  received  in  action.  la  January,  1855,  tho 
month  of  tho  greatest  mortality  of  that  campaign,  ninety- 
seven  per  cent  of  the  mortality  was  from  disease.  During 
our  national  struggle,  two  hundred  and  eighty  thousand  four 
Jiundred  and  twenty  men  —  good,  true,  and  loyal — scaled 
their  patriotism  by  death  in  tho  service.  Of  these  over 
sixty  thousand  died  in  battle,  while  thirty-Jive  thousand 
survived  the  day  of  the  conflict  to  die  of  their  wounds,  and 
one  7tundred  and  eighty-four  thousand.  tJtree  hundred  and 
thirty-one  died  of  disease.  Thus  two  parsons  died  of 
disease  for  every  one  that  fell  by  the  enemy's  weapons. 
AVith  ordinary  sanitary  and  medical  appliances,  such  as 
Napoleon  had  in  his  armies,  and  such  as  tho  English  had 
in  the  Crimea,  our  deaths  by  disease  would  have  reached 
tho  fearful  aggregate  of  more  than  tJiree  ftundred  and  sixty- 
eight  thousand.  Thus  it  appears  that  the  result  of  all 
these  labors  and  sacrifices  by  our  loyal  women,  of  tho 
abundant  returns  from  our  sanitary  fairs,  and  of  tho  con 
stant,  loving,  unremitting  care  for  the  brave  champions  of 
the  Union,  has  been  a  saving  of  more  than,  a  hundred  and 
eighty-four  thousand  lives,  that  would  otherwise  have  been 
victims  of  the  malaria  of  southern  climates,  the  exposures 
of  tho  camp,  the  transport  ship,  and  the  bivouac,  the  in 
fection  of  hospitals,  the  depression  consequent  upon  being 


CONCLUSION.  593 

forgotten  and  neglected  among  strangers,  homesickness, 
and  tho  slow  corrosion  of  constant  anxiety  for  the  loved 
ones  loft  behind,  and  all  tho  other  horrors  and  hardships  of 
tcrriblo  war. 


In  conclusion,  tho  author  of  this  volume  of  sketches  feels 
it  duo  to  himself  to  alludo  to  the  great  difficulty  ho  has 
experienced  in  obtaining  his  materials. 

It  was  only  by  overcoming  extreme  reluctance  to  any 
thing  liko  publicity  on  the  part  of  many,  by  a  voluminous 
correspondence,  and  by  numerous  personal  interviews,  that 
ho  has  collected  tho  facts  of  which  tho  foregoing  pages  are 
a  recital.  Now,  however,  as  tho  compilation  has  reached 
tho  limits  to  which  ho  is  circumscribed,  ho  finds  his  tablo 
loaded  with  a  surplus  of  material  so  largo,  interesting,  and 
valuable,  that  ho  cannot  claim  that  this  volume,  as  tho 
record  of  female  heroism  and  self-sacrifice,  is  either  com 
plete  or  exhaustive. 

Those  who,  in  person  or  by  their  friends,  responded 
with  promptness,  and  furnished  abundant  material,  may 
seem  to  havo  a  mention  too  prominent.  This,  however,  is 
entirely  tho  result  of  circumstances,  and  was  nc;*;  done  Avith 
tho  view  of  making  invidious  distinctions. 

Among  those  who  labored  long  and  faithfully  in  tho  army 
of  tho  Potomac,  Miss  Bradford  and  Miss  Gilson,  of  Massa 
chusetts,  were,  perhaps,  not  equalled  by  those  whoso  record 
is  fully  given.  Tho  story  of  the  army  life,  aud  of  tho  death 
of  Mrs.  General  Biirlow,  is  full  of  interest  and  romance. 

as 


594  WOMEN    OF    THE    WAR. 

The  work  of  Clara  Barton  is  known  from  Maine  to  Mis 
souri.  Tho  closo  of  the  war  lias  not  terminated  her  indus 
try  nor  furnished  an  opportunity  to  complete  her  admirable 
record. 

In  the  hospitals. of  Georgia  and  Tennessee,  Mrs.  Cameron, 
formerly  of  Chattanooga,  now  of  Philadelphia,  acted  a  no- 
Ijle  part,  and  has  endeared  her  immo  to  thousands  of  desti 
tute  and  suffering  refugees. 

Miss  Hancock,  of  New  Jersey,  Mies  Bissell,  Miss  Lucy 
Chase,  Mrs.  Painter  and  Mrs.  Carver,  and  Miss  "Mary 
Duncan,  of  the  fifth  corps,  are  gratefully  rcmemhercd  by 
hundreds  who  bled  in  the  great  battles  of  the  final  campaign. 
Among  hospital  visitors  in  A\rashington,  none  was  earlier 
in  the  service,  or  labored  with  zeal  more  unwearied,  than 
Mrs.  Almira  Fulus  ;  none  displayed  a  finer  union  of  the 
graces  of  womanhood  than  Mrs.  Pomeroy.  When  bowed 
with  crushing  sorrow  over  the  loss  of  his  favorite  boy.  it 
was  from  the  lips  of  this  Christian  lady  that  our  late  mar 
tyred  president  received  words  of  the  truest  consolation 
and  the  suggestions  of  celestial  hope.  4 

Mrs.  Harlan,  wifo  of  the  Hon.  James  Ilarlan,  United 
States  senator  from  Iowa,  and  more  recently  Secretary  of 
the  Interior,  is  another  shining  instance  illustrating  the 
value  of  woman's  work  during  tho  great  conflict.  Sho  was 
with  the  army  at  Pittsburg  Landing,  and  hundreds  of  men 
arc  alive  to-duy,  -who,  but  for  her  ministering  visits  to  the 
field  of  Shiloh,  for  hor  energy,  or  for  her  "outranking 
Ilalleck,"  might  have  boon  rudely  buried  oil  that  bloody 
field.  Sho  at  first  devoted  her  energies  to  caring  for  tho 
volunteers  from  her  own  state,  but  afterwards  gavo  her 


CONCLUSION'.  595 

time  and  labor  to  tho  general  causa,  for  tho  good  of  which 
sho  braved  tho  storms  of  Ocean,  many  journeys  to  tho  army, 
but  lived  to  sco  her  cflbrts  crowned  with  eplondid  success, 
and  her  name  blessed  in  nearly  every  city,  town,  and  hamlet 
in  tho  land. 

Though  a  number  of  charming  hospital  scenes  and  stories 
aro  related  in  tho  present  volume*  by  aomo  of  tho  largo  dep 
utation  from  Maine,  there  aro  others  whoso  record  is  as  rich 
in  incidents  and  as  valuable  for  the  display  of  fiiio  character 
as  any  already  given.  Mrs.  Preblo  and  Mrs.  Sampson  did 
a  iioblo  work,  for  which  thousands  in  tho  army  of  tho  Po 
tomac  will  ncv^i  forgot  them. 

Some  thcro  ivcro  who  went  out  from  homes  tho  mcst  lux 
urious,  and  gave  themselves  to  lives  of  loyal  sacrifice,  in 
tho  spirit  of  Him  who  said,  "Whosoever  is  chief  among 
you,  let  him  become  your  servant," 

Tho  spirit  that  prompts  sol  f-forgctf illness and  is,  for 

that  reason,  tho  more  admirable  —  suggests,  also,  entire 
reticence  as  to  tho  details  of  benefactions.  It  is  on  this 
account  that  so  littlo  will  bo  found  hero  as  to  tho  army 
experience  of  tho  Misses  "\Voolsey,  of  Now  York  city,  and 
their  relative,  Miss  Green,  of  Norwich. 

Nor  has  tho  subject  of  tho  good  dono  and  tho  heroism 
displayed  at  tho  Naval  School  IIoax>ital  been  exhausted  by 
what  has  been  written  of  Miss  Hall  and  some  of  her 
assistants.  The  administration  of  Mrs.  Tyler  at  Annap 
olis  was  eminently  successful,  and  her  career  highly  inter 
esting.  So,  also,  Miss  Noye,  of  Buffalo,  and  Miss  ITowo, 
of  Crookficld,  Massachusetts,  with  many  others,  whoso 
period  of  service  there  was  shorter,  will  never  bo  forgotten 


59G 


OF    THE    WAH. 


by  hundreds  of  the  skeleton  victims  of  southern  barbarism, 
who  hero  learned  to  forget  the  horrors  of  their  long  impris 
onment  amid  tho  kindly  graces  and  sympathetic  attentions 
of  Christian  ladies. 


Charter  Oak, 


